Early Warning Status

Early warning (EW) is a status within the NLIS database that is automatically assigned to a property carrying high-risk animals. It is one of several ‘property identification code (PIC)-based statuses’ assigned within the database. The EW status does not identify what the status is for or which specific animals are high-risk.

The EW status helps monitor and manage food safety and biosecurity risk along the entire supply chain. It gives livestock buyers and agents forewarning of a potential risk by flagging that the PIC may have high risk animals associated with it. The buyer or agent is then able to contact the vendor and seek more information about whether a high-risk animal is in a consignment.

An individual animal is given a ‘device-based status’ against its NLIS tag or bolus when it has a known disease or residue issue that presents a food safety or biosecurity risk and requires specific management on-farm, or at feedlots, saleyards and processors.

Depending on the risk, the producer is informed of the status assigned by the Commonwealth or State Department, a vet or ISC through the NLIS database.

The EW status is then automatically applied within the NLIS database to the PIC where the device is located. If the high-risk animal is moved to a different PIC, that PIC also automatically has an EW status assigned to it within the NLIS database.

The device-based statuses that trigger the EW status are:

• AV (AV1) – assigned to cattle that have been vaccinated against anthrax
• DOI (DN2) – assigned to devices of interest to the States and Territories
• IMPO (IM1) – assigned to cattle imported from country where BSE has been diagnosed
• JD (JD2) – assigned to cattle determined by a State or Territory authority to be a Johne’s disease clinical case
• LEAD (PB1, PB2) – assigned to cattle placed under movement restrictions due to lead residues (PB1)
• LPA (NL2) – assigned to cattle that have moved to an LPA Accredited PIC from a non-LPA accredited PIC with an organochlorine status and have resided on the PIC for less than 6 months
• NARM (K1F, K1V, K3) – assigned to cattle where antimicrobial residue testing is required
• NORM (N1F, N1V, N2F, N2V) – assigned to cattle where organochlorine residue testing is required
• RAM (F1, F2, F3) – assigned to cattle exposed to restricted animal material (RAM).

The status remains active until the animal is slaughtered or until the status duration expires or is removed. 

A buyer can investigate a consignment’s status by either:

• using the PIC register on the NLIS database to search for a specific PIC
• contacting the vendor to seek clarification that there are no high-risk animals in the consignment (in a private sale)
• asking the selling agent to seek clarification that there are no high-risk animals in the consignment.

A vendor must let potential buyers know if there are high risk animals in the consignment. Producers can ask the vendor or agent selling the stock to confirm that the consignment does not include any high-risk animals. 

It is the buyer’s responsibility to assess risks associated with purchasing a consignment with high-risk animals and determine whether they accept those risks. 

The pre-sale catalogue from the selling agents should outline any EW statuses for that day’s sale. If a pre-sale catalogue is not provided, you may request all devices be run for a status check by the saleyard operator.

Permission can be granted to other parties to access information on the NLIS database on your behalf via a third party account (e.g. agent, family member, contractor).

Early warning (EW) is a status within the NLIS database that is automatically assigned to a property carrying high-risk animals. It is one of several ‘property identification code (PIC)-based statuses’ assigned within the database. The EW status does not identify what the status is for or which specific animals are high-risk.

The EW status helps monitor and manage food safety and biosecurity risk along the entire supply chain. It gives livestock buyers and agents forewarning of a potential risk by flagging that the PIC may have high risk animals associated with it. The buyer or agent is then able to contact the vendor and seek more information about whether a high-risk animal is in a consignment.

An individual animal is given a ‘device-based status’ against its NLIS tag or bolus when it has a known disease or residue issue that presents a food safety or biosecurity risk and requires specific management on-farm, or at feedlots, saleyards and processors.

Depending on the risk, the producer is informed of the status assigned by the Commonwealth or State Department, a vet or ISC through the NLIS database.

The EW status is then automatically applied within the NLIS database to the PIC where the device is located. If the high-risk animal is moved to a different PIC, that PIC also automatically has an EW status assigned to it within the NLIS database.

The device-based statuses that trigger the EW status are:

• AV (AV1) – assigned to cattle that have been vaccinated against anthrax
• DOI (DN2) – assigned to devices of interest to the States and Territories
• IMPO (IM1) – assigned to cattle imported from country where BSE has been diagnosed
• JD (JD2) – assigned to cattle determined by a State or Territory authority to be a Johne’s disease clinical case
• LEAD (PB1, PB2) – assigned to cattle placed under movement restrictions due to lead residues (PB1)
• LPA (NL2) – assigned to cattle that have moved to an LPA Accredited PIC from a non-LPA accredited PIC with an organochlorine status and have resided on the PIC for less than 6 months
• NARM (K1F, K1V, K3) – assigned to cattle where antimicrobial residue testing is required
• NORM (N1F, N1V, N2F, N2V) – assigned to cattle where organochlorine residue testing is required
• RAM (F1, F2, F3) – assigned to cattle exposed to restricted animal material (RAM).

The status remains active until the animal is slaughtered or until the status duration expires or is removed. 

A PIC EW status is disclosed to potential buyers and selling agents when they query the NLIS database so they are aware of potential risks associated with livestock they intend to buy. They can then manage those risks appropriately, particularly if the livestock are to be processed.

At saleyards, the EW status is shown against the PIC if or when the saleyard or agent undertake pre-sale checks. The saleyard or agent may contact you directly for more information or they may scan the animals in the consignment to determine if any animals carry individual statuses. If they do, then this information may be provided on a pre-sale catalogue.

Sellers of livestock are obliged to disclose if they are selling a high-risk animal. Likewise, agents and saleyards are obliged to disclose relevant information about livestock and the properties they are consigned from to potential buyers.

If you have an EW status on your PIC, you should work with your agent or saleyard ahead of the sale, confirm whether the consignment includes a high risk animal and provide the NLIS device numbers of those animals to the agent, saleyard or buyer.

The agent or saleyard may then choose to include information regarding the animal(s) in the pre-sale catalogue.

The EW status will be removed from your PIC once animals with a high-risk status on their NLIS tag or bolus move off your PIC, the animal is recorded as deceased or the duration of the status is finished.

When completing the NVD, you must declare all animals that have a device-based status on their NLIS tag or bolus by providing detail at question 9 on the NVD.

You also must tick yes to question 5 on the LPA NVD (question 4 on EU NVD), while your PIC has an EW status and for six months from its removal.

You can provide buyers with details of any high-risk animals in the consignment, or provide a list of the NLIS tag numbers of each animal in the consignment prior to sale so that they can check if there are any statuses attached to them. You will also provide buyers with the assurances they require by accurately completing the LPA NVD and declaring any livestock that may pose a food safety or biosecurity risk. 

The EW status will remain attached to your PIC until animals with high risk device-based statuses move off the PIC, are recorded as deceased, or have their individual device-based status removed. The setting and removal of individual device-based statuses is usually the responsibility of the states and territories. Some statuses are also time bound so will automatically be removed. 

Producers must identify on the NVD any animals that have a high-risk status that pose a risk to food safety (question nine on the NVD). They do not have to outline the EW status on the NVD if the consignment does not include any high-risk animals.

Agents are encouraged to know the PIC status of consignments prior to sale and to share this information with their clients. An agent can access the NLIS database to determine whether the selling PIC has an EW status. However, an agent cannot check the individual device-based statuses of a consignment unless they have been assigned third party authority by the seller. The saleyard superintendent has the ability to check this from the list of individual devices. 

This is managed the same way as a usual sale is run and every saleyard will have a different process.

It is not expected that all animals are scanned prior to sale as not all saleyards have the ability to scan livestock. However, the vendor should inform the saleyard if the PIC they are consigning livestock for sale from has an EW status and saleyards and agents must check with the vendor whether any livestock in the consignment carry a high risk status.

If the vendor does not know the status of the consignment, and if facilities exist to do so, agents and saleyards can scan the animals in the consignment to check for device statuses and may include this information in the pre-sale catalogue.  

There is no need to identify the EW status on pens at the sale. While the vendor should alert the agent or potential buyer of any high risk animals in the lot, the EW status is an additional tool for buyers to better understand if they need to conduct any additional enquiries regarding the animals in the lot prior to purchase.

Saleyards and agents should check with the consignor whether any livestock in the consignment carry a high-risk status, or work with the saleyard operator to scan the animals in the consignment to check for device statuses.  This information may be included in the pre-sale catalogue.

Livestock consigned from an EW status PIC can be sold under the usual terms but the EW status  should be declared on the NVD. Saleyards and agents should check with the consignor whether any livestock in the consignment carry a high risk status, or scan the animals in the consignment to check for device-based statuses and include this information in the pre-sale catalogue. Animals with a lead (Pb) and unknown exposure status need special treatment.