October CEO Message

It’s hard to believe November is just around the corner. With the new year approaching, I’m sure mandatory electronic identification (eID) is top of mind for many sheep and goat producers.

Sheep and goat tags

For sheep and goat producers looking to purchase their tags, I wanted to highlight the importance of purchasing tags that are species-specific for sheep or goats and NLIS-approved. If you’re unsure, ISC’s website has a range of resources to help you select and order the correct NLIS-approved tags.

If you need help with applying them correctly to maximise retention, last month’s NLIS Tips and Tricks provides excellent guidance and information on what to do if tags are lost.

New LPA tool under development

ISC is continuing to update and improve the Livestock Production Assurance (LPA) program. A new Animal Welfare Management Plan tool is under development and will be included as part of the LPA-accreditation process once finalised.

The new tool will enable development of a tailored Animal Welfare Management Plan producers can use to guide their on-farm activities. The plan will be available for download once the accreditation process has been completed.

The LPA team is looking for producers to help test the proposed species-specific questions for the Animal Welfare Management Plan and if you’d like to get involved, all the information is available on our website.

MLA Updates

I was recently in Perth for this year’s MLA Updates and if you were there, thanks for coming along and contributing to another successful event. As always, it was great to be on the ground and have the opportunity to speak with producers and discuss some of the enhancements we are making to our programs, including the LPA Self-Assessment and the eNVD.

If you couldn’t make it this year, you can read about the event or check out the photo gallery to see some of this year’s highlights.

New webinars

Before I go, I also wanted to flag our November webinar series, which has sessions focused on PIC reconciliations, LPA changes for HRG producers, and LPA audit preparation. There’s also a session to give hobby farmers and small landholders a high-level overview of the LPA and NLIS. You can register for any of these events on the ISC events page.

In the meantime, please enjoy this month’s edition of Integrity Matters.

Kind regards

Jo Quigley
ISC CEO