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Home > Biosecurity > Identifying, Selling & Moving Livestock > Buying & Selling Cattle

Buying and Selling Cattle

The following outlines what you must do if you wish to buy or sell cattle.

All cattle must be correctly identified with a NLIS tag before leaving a property.

If you have a PIC number ie (MABC1234) and are already registered for NLIS tags please order from your local rural agent store or any online company.

There is an exemption in place for bobby calves identified with a Bobby Calf Tag being sold for immediate slaughter.

OH&S Issues
Where it is an Occupational Health & Safety issue to safely NLIS identify cattle before leaving a property there are two alternatives:

1. Apply to the Registrar of Brands to move the cattle to a site where there are facilities to safely identify the cattle using your NLIS devices.

2. Apply for a permit to purchase and use blue Transaction Tags. The blue Transaction Tags Tail Tag for your property must be applied to the cattle before sending them to an abattoir for slaughter. The permit and the blue Transaction Tags can be obtained from the Registrar of Brands. Please ensure that the abattoir will accept the stock for slaughter under the permit before purchasing the tags.

2. Transaction Tags (Tail Tags)

(Only applies in certain circumstances.)

Only NLIS-identified HGP-free cattle are exempt from Transaction Tags (Tail Tags) in Tasmania. This means that Transaction Tags will still be required in the following circumstances:

Cattle from interstate that have been treated with HGPs or those with unknown status must be identified with a yellow Tail Tag.
Bobby calves consigned for immediate slaughter must be identified with a Bobby Calf Tag.
Cattle that can’t be safely NLIS identified and are consigned to an abattoir for slaughter under a permit from the Registrar of Animal Brands must have a blue Transaction Tag.
The EU Cattle Accreditation Scheme (EUCAS) requires the use of lime green tail tags. Contact the EUCAS Helpline 1800 305 544 if you have any questions regarding this requirement.

Other Requirements

3. Vendor Declaration

Whenever cattle are sold a Vendor Declaration must be provided to the saleyard or purchaser. This applies for any change of ownership.

Both parties are to keep a copy for a minimum of 2 years.

4. Recording the Movement on the NLIS Database

Movements between properties must be recorded on the NLIS database by the person responsible for the cattle on the new property (usually the purchaser). See Transferring Cattle for more information.

If the cattle have been purchased through a saleyard then the saleyard is responsible for recording the transfer. In this instance the purchaser must provide the saleyard with the Property Identification Code (PIC) of the property the cattle are being moved to.

5. Purchasers to Provide PIC

If you are buying cattle make sure you provide the saleyard or vendor with the Property Identification Code (PIC) of the property the cattle are to be moved to.

For more details see NLIS for Cattle.

About Livestock Identification

Tasmania Online | Service Tasmania

This page - http://www.dpipwe.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/WebPages/SSKA-7FN69J?open - was last published on 30 April 2013 by the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment. Questions concerning its content can be sent to Internet Coordinator by using the feedback form, by mail to GPO Box 44, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia 7001, or by telephone.

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