Declaring livestock ownership on the NVD

Knowing how to fill out NVDs so they are clear, complete and correct is essential to ensure the food safety, traceability and integrity of Australian red meat.   

All NVDs you complete, for any species of livestock consigned, require you to declare how long you have owned the livestock.  

Why is the length of ownership important? 

It is especially important that the length of ownership is declared on the NVD, as this provides the receiver of the livestock with an understanding of the food safety and biosecurity risk these animals present. The longer you have owned the livestock, the more information you can provide about their exposure to physical contaminants.  

Most veterinary chemicals and pesticides break down to below acceptable levels within 60 days (approximately two months). Once you have owned animals for more than two months, the buyer can rely on your farm records and the declarations you personally make on the NVD to guarantee the animals present no risk of chemical residues.   

ISC recommends that producers check that animals owned for less than two months will be accepted by the processor before consigning them to the processing plant. Most processors are checking that the length of ownership has been completed correctly on the NVD by cross-referencing the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) transfers of livestock they purchase.  

The NVD is a legal document that is a signed declaration. It is underpinned by state legislation and non-compliance can result in severe penalties.  

Declaring length of ownership for sheep and cattle 

Question 3 on the NVD (Cattle) asks, “Has the owner stated above owned these cattle since their birth?”  

Similarly, Question 3 of the NVD (Sheep & Lambs) asks, “Were all these sheep or lambs bred by the owner or vendor?” 

You can only tick ‘Yes’ on Question 3 of these NVDs if you are certain that all of the livestock in the consignment were bred by you as the owner or vendor of the livestock. 

If one or more of the livestock in the consignment are non-vendor bred, you must tick ‘No’ and answer the subsequent question on how long they have been owned for. Alternatively, if the vendor bred and non-vendor bred livestock can be identified and/or separated and the receiver is willing for this to occur, you may use a separate NVD for the vendor bred stock and the non-vendor bred stock. In some cases there may be a marketing advantage in doing this – but in cases where there is not, it may be better to leave the animals as a single group and complete one NVD for the livestock. 

Question 2 of the NVD (EU Cattle) and the NVD (Bobby Calves) also asks producers to declare how long they have owned the livestock being transported. You should respond to this question in the same way as just described for Question 3 of the NVD (Cattle) and NVD (Sheep & Lambs). 

Declaring length of ownership for goats   

Question 1 of the NVD (Goats) asks, “For farmed goats, were all of them bred by the owner or vendor?” 

You can skip this question if the goats you are transporting are declared eligible to be moved tag free. In some states and territories, harvested rangeland goats can be moved tag free if they are moved from the property on which they were captured to an abattoir for slaughter or directly to a registered goat depot.  

If your goats are not eligible to be moved tag free, you must answer Question 1 of the NVD (Goat).  

You can only tick ‘Yes’ on Question 1 if you are certain that all of the goats in the consignment were bred by you as the owner or vendor of the livestock.  

If one or more of the goats in the consignment are non-vendor bred, you must tick ‘No’ and answer the subsequent question on how long they have been owned for.  Alternatively, if the vendor bred and non-vendor bred livestock can be identified and/or separated and the receiver is willing for this to occur, you may use a separate NVD for the vendor bred stock and the non-vendor bred stock. 

eNVD 

If you are using the eNVD system to complete your consignment, the fourth step in completing the NVD form for sheep, cattle or goats is the ‘History’ section (pictured below). Here, you are asked, “Were the livestock owned by the owner since their birth?” 

You must only tick ‘Yes’ in response to this question if you are certain that you have owned all the livestock since their birth. If one or more animals in the consignment have not been bred by you, you must tick ‘No’ and answer the subsequent question on how long they have been owned for. Alternatively, if the vendor bred and non-vendor bred livestock can be identified and/or separated and the receiver is willing for this to occur, you may fill out separate eNVD forms for the vendor bred and the non-vendor bred stock.