From 1 February 2016, goat depots must be registered to be able to move goats without NLIS tags following an announcement made by Safemeat and GICA. To be able to operate without NLIS tags, goat depot operators must:
- ensure the depot PIC is LPA accredited;
- agree to participate in an annual LPA audit;
- have a goat depot NLIS database account;
- have a letter from a goatmeat processor indicating that the depot is, or will be, a supplier of goats on a commercial basis; and
- agree to comply with all NLIS requirements relating to the ongoing operation of the goat depot.
To help depot operators to complete the registration process, GICA and State Governments have developed a series of documents. These include:
- a summary of the registration process for new and existing goat depots (separate summary for NSW depots);
- a User Manual, including the Industry NLIS Standards for operating a goat depot and standard operating procedures; and
- a template for the letter to provided by processors.
Operators of goat depots (or those considering a new goat
depot) should start by reading the summary of registration process for
their relevant jurisdiction.
Once registered, depot operators will be given a
departmental approval to receive and consign untagged harvested goats to
slaughter and will be subject to an annual LPA audit. The outcome of
these audits and the outcomes of State compliance monitoring will
determine whether the depot will remain eligible to consign untagged
harvested goats to slaughter.
Individuals and organisations who misuse the conditions of
registration could be forced to tag all goats prior to leaving the
depot or their property. Note that tagging, NVD and movement recording
requirements for farmed goats and for harvested goats moving to another
depot or property remain in place.
Until the new Goat Depot registration conditions are fully
developed, State/Territory NLIS authorities will be closely monitoring
goat movements from goat depots. Action will be taken on any breaches of
NLIS requirements, and serious breaches could be taken into
consideration when assessing any future applications for approval to
move harvested goats to slaughter without tags.
During this time, industry participants are asked to pay
particular attention to keeping accurate movement records and ensuring
livestock movements onto their PICs are entered into the NLIS
database.
If depots do not to register by 1 February 2016 they will
be contacted to seek clarification as to why they have not registered.
If you regularly trade harvested goats without tags and
are unsure of your obligations, please contact your State/Territory NLIS
authority (listed at the end of the User Manual) or GICA for more information.