On 11 October 2013, ABARES published a Consultation Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) on potential changes to improve the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) for sheep and goats. The consultation RIS notes that NLIS for sheep and goats currently does not enable tracing of animals to the standards required under the National Livestock Traceability Performance Standards. Accurate and timely livestock traceability is important for managing biosecurity, food safety, and animal welfare risks. The consultation RIS seeks feedback on the identified options for improving the NLIS, the proposed method for economic analysis and other aspects of the document. Three options for improving the current NLIS have been analysed: Option 1: Enhanced mob-based system—enhancement of the existing mob-based system with improvements in the verification and enforcement of business rules throughout the supply chain. Option 2: Electronic Identification (EID) system—the electronic tagging of animals with exemptions for sheep and goats sold directly from their property of birth to abattoirs or export depots. Option 3: EID system without exemptions. The Consultation RIS does not identify any preferred option for implementation. Following the public consultation process, the impact analysis of the options will be revised and updated with a view to making a recommendation on a preferred option to the Standing Council on Primary Industries (SCoPI) as part of the Decision stage RIS. The public consultation on these proposals runs for eight-weeks, closing 5pm AEDT Friday, 6 December 2013. Further information on the consultation process can be found here. The consultation RIS was prepared by ABARES for the Standing Council on Primary Industries and assessed as adequate by the Office of Best Practice Regulation.
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