Rules/regulations for owning sheep/goats in NSW - help!

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Tue, 12/30/2014 - 10:27 #1

Member for

9 years 3 months
Lynny1981
Last seen: 01/18/2015 - 10:04
Joined: 12/29/2014 - 22:07

Rules/regulations for owning sheep/goats in NSW - help!

Hi there

Recently bought a 5 acre property in Lithgow/Portland NSW area (not terribly hot in summer, frost in winter).  At the moment the paddocks are divided into 5 different areas - one of which contains a dam. It is horribly overgrown with god knows what.. Neighbour reckons its a mix of grasses, wheat etc.

Anyway.. thought we'd get some sheep in to help keep it all down (our tiny ride on mower isnt up to cutting that much grass!). 

After a bit of googling we found that there's lots of rules with regards to keeping and moving sheep (I had no idea).. lots of diseases to watch out for, ear tagging, drenching, branding, record keeping that had to be done.  Is this true for someone who is basically just using sheep as lawn mowers - not intending to breed or eat them at this stage!

Husband then suggested a couple of goats but I can't find any regulations on owning them online - can I keep a couple without having to do all the branding, tagging etc??

We're just after an animal of sorts that wont cost a fortune to look after that will help keep the grass down - or some other farming ideas to make good use of the land.  Thought of coppice trees but not sure I want to fill all the paddocks with trees/stumps etc :-/

Any ideas?

TIA

Lynette

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Fri, 01/02/2015 - 23:29 #2
barb
Last seen: 09/17/2019 - 18:07
Joined: 11/23/2011 - 09:38

hi Lynette,

I realise that regulations for keeping livestock are fairly strict, but the reason is to keep Australia as disease free as possible.

This is why, so far, we don't have 'mad cow disease' or rabies in our livestock. However, because in NSW and some other states and territories, we have Ovine Jhonie's disease, it is necessary in those states and territories for vendors of livestock to have a certificate from a vet stating that their property is free of that disease. You will need to check on this  information, because there were some changes made to the regulations last year. 

The regulations apply equally to both sheep and goats who have been known to carry ovine Johnie's disease.

Usually we vaccinate young sheep and goats for a number of different diseases that they can suffer from, such as tetanus,  entero toxaemia and Black leg.This is given as two injections. The first at six weeks of age and the second one month later. It is not regualtion that you have to vaccinate them for this, but is recommended as these diseases can be rapidly fatal. The vaccine comes as a three-in-one vaccine, made by a few different companies here in Australia.

Another thing is, all sheep and goats carry intestinal worms and sheep and goats will need to be wormed at least twice per year with a good broad spectrum drench- available from your feed store, as untreated intestinal parasites can cause severe loss of condition, or in the case of hook worm, or Barbers Pole (the biggest killer of small ruminants in Australia), can cause loss of livestock.

 In my book, Farming Meat Goats: Breeding, production and Marketing, (available from the book store on this website and published by CSIRO Landlinks press), goat husbandry with instructions for all your basic procedures, including hoof trimming,with illustrations, and vaccinating is fully explained.   

You can contact  Meat and Livestock Australia (the MLA ) on 1800 675717 who will be able to explain to you about registration of your stock and about NLIS tagging and the NVD and Way bills needed when transporting livestock.  The vendor has to tag the stock before they leave their property and provide a copy of the NVD (National Vendor Declaration) Way bill to you also. The MLA will tell you what is needed and It really isn't as difficult as it seems.

I hope some of this info. is useful to you.

Cheers and wishing you and yours all the best for the coming Year in 2015,

Barb

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Sat, 01/17/2015 - 18:56 #3
Lynny1981
Last seen: 01/18/2015 - 10:04
Joined: 12/29/2014 - 22:07

Sorry about the late reply - emails notifications stopped working. Thanks for all that info Barb - so much I need to learn and wrap my head around eek!  surprise

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Mon, 01/19/2015 - 12:47 #4
charlie
Last seen: 12/26/2018 - 09:21
Joined: 05/31/2011 - 09:44

Hi Lynette,

Welcome to the forum.

The rules of the NLIS (National Livestock Identification System) will apply whether you own a few or manysheep or goatsk. 

Throughout Australia, producers are required to know where the sheep and goats under their management have come from and where they are going. In New South Wales this means:

  • All sheep and managed goats must be identified with an approved NLIS ear tag before leaving their property – be they destined for a saleyard, abattoir, live export, sale over-the-hooks (OTH) or another property with a different Property Identification Code (PIC).
  • When sheep or goats are moved to a property with a different PIC, a mob-based movement needs to be recorded 
    on the NLIS database.

  • All transported sheep and goats, including feral or unmanaged goats, must be accompanied by accurate and fully completed movement documents, generally a Livestock Production Assurance National Vendor Declaration and Waybill (LPA NVD/Waybill).

  • For mixed mobs including multiple PICs, all PICs within the mob must be recorded on the LPA NVD/Waybill or a 
    pink post-breeder ear tag must be used.

Below is a link to an article which provides you with some additional information on the NLIS requirements of sheep and goats within NSW.

http://farmstyle.com.au/news/nlis-requirements-sheep-and-goats-nsw

Hope this is of some assistance and if you have any other questions please do not hesitate to ask.

Regards,
Charlie

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