LPA accreditation

What is LPA accreditation?

The national Livestock Production Assurance (LPA) program is an independently audited, on-farm assurance program covering food safety, animal welfare and biosecurity. It provides evidence of livestock history and on-farm practices when transferring livestock through the supply chain.

Producers who choose to participate in the LPA program commit to carrying out on-farm practices that feed into and support the integrity of the entire system. This integrity is verified when producers sign LPA National Vendor Declarations (NVDs) for livestock movements.

Do livestock producers need to be LPA accredited?

There is no requirement to be part of the LPA program. However, if you are not, you won’t be able to obtain or use LPA NVD forms.

Although LPA is a voluntary industry program, most meat processors require livestock to be sourced from LPA-accredited properties. Other processors may discount non-LPA accredited stock. Some Victorian saleyards will not accept livestock unless they are backed by an LPA NVD.

Agriculture Victoria recommends that livestock owners are LPA accredited.

What are vendor declarations?

Generic declarations or NVDs provide an important tool for tracking livestock for disease control, food safety and animal welfare purposes. They also provide confidence to consumers in domestic and overseas markets that Victorian-produced meat, milk products and fibre products are safe and wholesome.

NVDs also provide a mechanism that allows a producer to confirm that the animals they are selling are ‘fit for purpose’ and free from unacceptable chemical residues.

As part of the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS), vendor declarations are required for all livestock movements, including property to property, through saleyards, direct to processors and to feedlots, and to the live export trade. NVDs should be retained for seven years..

Some buyers may require, as a condition of purchase, that vendors supply a correctly completed current-edition LPA NVD form. A generic vendor declaration is not one of these.

Check with the person receiving your sheep or goats on whether a non-LPA vendor declaration will be acceptable to them.

Why are National Vendor Declarations required?

Livestock producers use a National Vendor Declaration (NVD) to declare necessary and valuable information about the food safety status of livestock being sold. It contains a declaration from the owner that all information is correct,

When buying livestock, the NVD provides the purchaser confirmation of the ownership, residence, life history and health information of the livestock.

Livestick processors rely on that information to confirm products entering the food chain are safe.

Further information

• LPA NVD forms can be obtained by contacting the LPA Helpline on 1800 683 111 during office hours, or by visiting Integrity Systems.
• Register to use PigPass NVDs or call the PigPass helpline on 1800 001 458.