NLIS Database Uplift Project: an industry perspective

The National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) database plays a critical role in the ongoing success of Australia’s red meat industry – providing the lifetime livestock traceability which underpins our global market access.

The NLIS Database Uplift Project will ensure Australia has a platform that continues to respond to the evolving needs of both livestock producers and the broader supply chain and remains fit-for-purpose for decades to come.

Industry engagement has been a core tenet of the project, and the Industry Reference Group (IRG) is critical to ensuring the views of the red meat supply chain are reflected in the uplifted NLIS.

Industry voices

David Wallis is a Saleyards Australia board member and a member of the IRG – ensuring the needs of Australian saleyards are represented in discussions that shape the future of the NLIS.

Coming from a farming family and with a background in engineering, David manages the Mt Gambier and District Saleyards, overseeing a throughput of around 80,000 cattle and 100,000 sheep annually.

“It was important that saleyards had a voice in this whole process,” he said. “The IRG has given users across the industry an opportunity to provide valuable feedback to the designers, and I think that’s going to give us a system that really works for everyone.”

The development process

Throughout the project, stakeholders from all parts of the supply chain have been consulted regularly as the workflows, or processes, that exist in the current NLIS system have been closely examined with plans established about how to merge them to speed up and simplify the way the uplifted NLIS will operate without any impact on functionality.

“I’ve been particularly interested in seeing the new workflows and being actively involved in assessing them to ensure they’ll work for us,” David said.

“Being able to identify where you have access (or not) within the system is probably one of the biggest stumbling blocks we have, so being able to question why this or that person has authority for certain functions has really been key.”

What value is the uplifted NLIS going to deliver?

David said the uplifted NLIS will be much easier and quicker to use – with producers able to better understand the system and their responsibilities within it, as a result.

“Traditionally, many producers have relied on their agents to take care of their livestock transfers but that might start to change,” he said. “The user interface for the uplifted NLIS is going to deliver a much more streamlined experience and I think we might start to see a lot more producers being happy to engage with the system.”

Importance of user feedback

David would like to see more people reviewing the concepts as they are developed to help ensure a satisfying user experience.

"I think it’s important people can have a look at it,” he said. “They are very curious, so I think if they can get a little bit of a taste of it, they’ll see the value that’s being developed.”

Producers who would like to provide feedback on dashboard options can complete this prototype of a livestock movement transaction workflow in the uplifted NLIS system. It’s important to note that this isn’t a final concept, it is simply a prototype designed to test user experience and help refine the function of the uplifted NLIS.

Engaging industry

A significant aspect of the uplift project has been the focus on ensuring user guidance documents are being developed.

“Most producers might only do three or four transfers each year and they will need to have 'how-to' documents that step them through the process and refresh their memory if it’s been a while since they’ve done a transfer,” David said.

“I think that's probably going to be one of the big things in building confidence to use it. Once people have that information, they'll go in there to have a look around and work through the processes without worrying they’ll make a mistake.”