Goat identification in Victoria

Goats can become infected by and spread serious emergency animal diseases including foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and anthrax. For this reason, goats need to be traceable to assist in the prompt containment of disease outbreaks and food safety incidents.

Persons owning or managing a property upon which sheep or goats are or will be kept must obtain a Property Identification Code (PIC) from Agriculture Victoria. This includes residential properties and hobby farms where goats are kept as pets or for lifestyle reasons.

Some goat breeds are difficult to identify using a tag because they have only rudimentary ears, or because their ears are prone to infection regardless of the tag used. For this reason, owners of dairy and miniature breeds in Victoria are not required to identify their goats with an electronic NLIS tag.

Even though the electronic identification of miniature and dairy goats in Victoria is voluntary, consignors must supply a correctly completed movement document which could be a National Vendor Declaration (NVD) form or Victorian Consignment Declaration (VCD) when they dispatch their goats to another property. VCD forms can be downloaded free of charge from Agriculture Victoria’s website (put ‘sheep and goat consignment’ in the search bar).

Importantly, the person receiving both electronically tagged and ‘tag-exempt’ goats must record the movement on the NLIS database within 48 hours of their arrival. For untagged goats, this is done under the mob-basis system. Visit nlis.com.au to open a database account and for further information about movement recording.

Producers in the future will, if they wish, be able to identify their goats with NLIS accredited leg band tags marketed by Datamars. Use of leg band tags on earless goats will, however, not be mandatory in Victoria.

Goat owners interested in using leg band tags should be aware this device has only been trialled in Australia on predominantly adult dairy goats and needs to be adjusted to prevent injury as goats grow. No information is currently available regarding the suitability of this device for use on kids or non-dairy breeds, so user discretion is advised.

For producers wishing to use leg band tags, they must first obtain an Authority to Purchase permit. Leg band tags can then be purchased directly from Datamars. These tags cannot be purchased from Agriculture Victoria on-line and are not subsidised.

In summary, all properties on which goats are kept must have a PIC, and movements between properties must be recorded within 48 hours on the NLIS database, including where the goats are ‘tag exempt’.

For more information visit the NLIS (Sheep & Goats) page for goat owners who would like to apply for permission to purchase leg band tags or call Agriculture Victoria’s NLIS Helpline during business hours on 1800 678 779.