Movement documentation requirements
Under the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management (Identification and Movement of Stock and Apiaries) Regulations 2013, all movements of livestock off a property must be accompanied by appropriate documentation.
This includes livestock movements to a vet, showground, breeding centre or event and applies to livestock that are dead or alive unless an appropriate exemption applies.
Depending on the destination and type of livestock, appropriate documentation may include:
- National Vendor Declaration (NVD)/waybill
- LPA eNVD
- PigPass NVD/waybill
- a plain waybill
- a department-issued permit or exemption.
Exemptions
Movement documentation is not required for emus, ostriches, poultry or slaughtered animals being moved from an abattoir.
Horses, donkeys and camels are also exempt from this requirement unless they are being moved to an abattoir for slaughter for human consumption.
Permits
If livestock without the correct identification need to be moved, a permit may be requested from a departmental authorised officer.
Permits may allow movement to a place where the livestock can be safely identified, moved directly for slaughter or moved for sale for slaughter only.
Permits will outline appropriate conditions that must be adhered to.
Moving between your properties
If an owner of livestock moves their animals between properties listed under same Property Identification Code (PIC), they can carry their PIC card or a full copy of it in place of writing out a NVD/waybill. Movement from the properties must be listed on the card and the animals must be correctly identified and registered to that PIC.
The PIC of any location registered by a livestock owner or manager (including non-farming PICs such as saleyards, depots and abattoirs) can be found by looking up the Stock brand and PIC register.
Dead animals
Under the regulations all transported livestock must travel with a waybill or equivalent movement identification, including animals that have died. This is important for complete traceability in disease management.
Supporting movement documentation must include both the PIC of the consigning property and the PIC of the destination in addition to other required sections of the form.
If you take an entire dead animal from your farm to a rubbish tip, you need to complete a waybill as a record of disposal from your property. You can provide a copy of the waybill to the tip operator if present. Tips do not have a registered PIC, however the physical address should be recorded on the waybill.
A dead animal is considered a whole animal or a body with head and hocks, even if guts have been removed.
A waybill is not required for the movement of animal carcasses. A carcass of an animal is a body that does not contain a head and hocks.
Who is responsible for providing documentation?
The person who owns or manages the property from which the livestock are leaving (not the livestock carrier) is responsible for providing appropriate accompanying documentation outlining the details of the livestock and movement and ensuring the movement is recorded in the correct database within the legislated timeframe. This however, may not always be the original owner of the animals when an on-farm or 3rd party sale has occurred.
For stock being moved from a Saleyard, it's the responsibility of the Saleyard Operator to provide the correctly completed waybill or equivalent documentation and upload into the NLIS database.
When livestock are being moved to a location for a short time and then all returned to the original property in the same consignment, a single waybill can be completed with the destination e.g. ‘to vet/showground and return’. Both PICs still need to be recorded on the waybill.
The original of the movement document must accompany the livestock and be handed to the consignee or recipient at the destination PIC. The seller, carrier/transporter and must also retain a copy of the supporting movement documentation.
Moving cattle, buffalo, sheep and goats
Commercial requirements dictate that a Livestock Production Assurance (LPA) NVD/waybill is required for movements of cattle, sheep and goats to a saleyard, abattoir or export depot, for sales to other producers and movements to different PICs.
Contact Integrity Systems Company (ISC) for further information on how to become accredited with LPA to access NVD waybills.
Integrity Systems Company
Phone: 1800 683 111
Livestock Production Assurance (LPA) | Integrity Systems
Recording movements
It's mandatory to record the movement of cattle, buffalo, sheep and goats to between properties with a different PIC on the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) database.
All livestock movements must be recorded within 48 hours of the arrival at a new PIC. The supporting waybill, NVD/waybill or permit number is required needed to complete the database transfer.
Cattle and buffalo are transferred to the new PIC on the database using the details of their individual electronic device (NLIS device/tag or bolus).
Sheep and goats can also have individual electronic identification (eID), however currently, the minimum requirement is to record a mob-based movement of the total number of stock moved in the consignment. All properties or facilities receiving sheep or goats will be required to scan all eIDs from 1 July 2026. Visual tagging and mob based movements will no longer apply from this date.
Moving pigs
A PigPass NVD/waybill is the commercially required document for the correct movement of pigs to any destination including saleyard, abattoir or export depot, for sales to other producers and movements to a different PIC.
The movement of pigs is recorded on the PigPass database, which automatically updates movements in the NLIS database. Pigs are transferred to the new PIC on the database as a mob-based movement, based on the total number of pigs moved in the consignment.
For further information about PigPass, please visit Australian Pork’s website or call the number below:
Phone: 1800 001 458
When can plain waybills be used?
Plain waybills can be used in certain circumstances and with particular species. They are used when an NVD is not required, for example, when transporting an animal to a veterinarian or an agricultural show, between properties owned by the same person or for species for which an NVD is not available – such as alpaca.
Plain waybills contain space to record both consigning and destination PICs.
Books of plain waybills can be obtained from some of the department's offices (please phone to confirm) or individual waybills can be downloaded via the provided link below.
Each new waybill downloaded will have automatically generated unique serial number.
Please note when using the below plain waybill, you need to download only one copy and then make 2 photocopies. If you download 3 waybills directly from the provided link, each will have a different serial number.
Every waybill must be completed in triplicate and all copies kept by appropriate parties for a minimum of 7 years.
Download a blank waybillInstructions for completing waybills
All parts of the waybill must be completed, as explained below:
- Date: Record the date of the movement of livestock.
- Owner’s name: Record the owner’s name(s) or, if applicable, the registered trading name as issued on your owner of livestock certificate and PIC card.
- Property addresses: Ideally completed in full. There must be enough detail to identify the property where livestock have been moved from and to.
- Consignor’s PIC: The owner/consignor’s registered PIC of the property where the animals are moving from (PIC of consignment).
- Consignee’s name or trading name: Must have enough detail to identify the consignee (purchaser/receiver) and ideally accurately reflects their registered details.
- Consignee PIC: Consignors must obtain a registered PIC for the consignee (purchaser/receiver) before movement of livestock and include this information (PIC of destination).
- Person completing the waybill: This must include the person’s full name and current contact information.
- Description of stock: must include accurate number of livestock, species, breed, age, sex and colours where applicable. Where lots are mixed, identify those that are most of the consignment ensuring total consigned number is accurate.
- Brand on stock, or brand or PIC on NLIS tag, or type of NLIS device: Include as required for each species, registered identification must be recorded on the waybill.
- Under permit: If livestock are travelling under a permit and/or without appropriate NLIS identification, the registered brand and/or earmark must be written in the description table. Accompanying permit numbers should be noted on waybills and a copy of it kept alongside.
- Registered earmarks: If recording the registered earmark, draw the earmark symbols or use the coded earmark index.
Species-specific guidance
- Cattle and buffalo: Record if the cattle and buffalo have been identified with an NLIS device or with an NLIS rumen bolus. The brand or earmark may be recorded in the appropriate column on the waybill.
- Sheep: Record the brand or PIC of the last NLIS tag applied. If the animals are identified with an NLIS electronic device, note this. The earmarks may be recorded on the waybill.
- Goats: Record as for sheep except for unidentified goats in pastoral areas moving direct to abattoirs. For these, write ‘unidentified’ in the table and record the brand or PIC of the property they are being moved from in the relevant column.
- Pigs: In the brand column, record the owner’s/vendor’s tattoo number, as applied just before movement. If tagged, record the PIC on the last NLIS tag applied.
- Alpaca, llama and deer: Record the brand or approved identification details on the ear tag attached to the animal.