Livestock Production Assurance in a simple format

We all know that Livestock Production Assurance can be seen as daunting, however as agents we have found that once the requirements have been reviewed by producers it is quite simple to comply. We have guided our clients and in fact assisted them to understand (LPA) and the majority are now complying with ease. It has increased the food safety knowledge for all of us.

Livestock Production Assurance (LPA)
NVD's (National Vendor Declarations)
Order NVDs
NVD Attachment Sheet

Read below to find out information you need to know about records needed, commodity vendor declartions,audits,ESIs & WHPs

WHAT IS LPA (Livestock Production Assurance)?In 2004 producers were asked to obtain the new version of the NVD. To obtain the NVD it required producers to sign up for a basic Food Safety Program to support the information given on an NVD. This program is the Livestock Production Assurance (LPA). We understand this could be confusing and we aware that there are some producers that don’t fully understand this. Once you ordered the new NVD’s (joined the program) you should have been sent some Livestock Production Assurance information in a blue covered booklet format. You should review and keep this information.

LPA Level 1 - Livestock Production Assurance (LPA) is a simple on farm food safety program designed to ensure the livestock you produce are safe for consumption and it supports the information recorded on your NVD’s. The program is based on a set of common sense animal production and recording guidelines which most producers will be following, however the guidelines should be reviewed as some fine tuning may be required. The complete standards or a simplified review of requirements can be found by clicking on The LPA Audit Checklist (Once in this page - Scroll down the Audits page and click on Audit Checklist)

LPA QA or Level 2 is for the producer wishing to move to the next level and implement Quality Assurance principles. LPA QA is designed to also incorporate optional modules to meet individual producer requirements.

NVD's (National Vendor Declarations) provide the documentation which underpins Australia’s food safety reputation for livestock.
NVD/Waybills contain information from producers which is then used by buyers and processors to ensure only the safest food enters our food chain.

To ensure the integrity of the NVD/Waybills as a legal document, they are issued to individual producers who hold a current Property Identification Code (PIC) or tail tag number.
Cattle, sheep and goat producers are required by law to have a Property Identification Code (PIC) for the properties on which they graze livestock. To obtain a PIC, contact your government PIC issuer depending on your property location.

Click on Order NVDs to order your NVDs. Producers in Queensland may require more room for cattle descriptions than is provided on the LPA NVD/Waybill. Click on the NVD attachment sheet link below, you can than print an attachment sheet to use for extra cattle descriptions.NVD Attachment Sheet

RECORD REQUIREMENTS

While there are some records which must be maintained it is up to the producer as to how they are maintained and in what format. Most producers will be maintaining the majority of the required records, however as we all know we may not be keeping all of the information required. For a copy of example records click on Record template(LPA) (Scroll to bottom of the page and click on record template) You can keep these records in this format if you wish or you can record this information in your notebooks, diaries, computer programs, or any other format as long as all the required information is recorded.

COMMODITY VENDOR DECLARATIONS (CVD’s)

When introducing commodities of any sort to be fed to livestock you need to obtain some sort of declaration / statement to ensure that the product does not contain any residues. You can simply ask for the seller to give a written declaration as to the treatment history, however the most common form used is a commodity vendor declaration (CVD) or by-product vendor declaration (BVD). A copy of these forms can be obtained by clicking on Commodity Vendor Declartions(LPA) (Once in this page - Click on Livestock Fodder Declartions on left hand side of page then click on Commodity Vendoe Declartions)

ESI / WHP INFORMATION

It is important to regularly check this information. This information is now regularly updated and some of the ESI’s /WHP’s have been changed. The ESI / WHP list inside your NVD book could well be outdated. For the most recent list click on ESIs & WHPs (LPA) (Once in this page - Scroll down the page until you find Cattle Product ESIs & WHPs list)

AUDITS

Livestock Production Assurance (LPA) level 1 – Producers in level 1 can be randomly selected for an audit. But don’t worry about a surprise visit or inspection. Producers that are selected receive letters informing them that an auditor will be in contact and also informs you of what an auditor will be looking for. Several of our clients were selected for an audit and were worried about being audited. Feedback from these producers revealed that the audit process was very helpful and educational and that there is little to worry about. For review of audit process and requirements click on The LPA Audit Checklist (Once in this page - Scroll to the bottom of the Audits page to find Audit checklist.)

LPA QA - Producers in LPA QA there is a requirement for annual audits and the producer is able to select an auditor. LPA Information DaysIf you are having a function or any event with a group of interested people you can contact the MLA and organize an extension officer to deliver a training / information session.

National Livestock Identification System - N.L.I.S (Cattle)

NLIS (Cattle) is Australia's system for the identification and tracing of cattle. It is a permanent, whole-of-life identification system that enables individual animals to be tracked from property of birth to slaughter.

NLIS uses machine-readable Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) devices to identify cattle. NLIS approved devices come in the form of an ear tag or rumen bolus/ear tag combination. Cattle are tagged with NLIS devices only once in their life. NLIS tags are part of Livestock Production Assurance.

Helping Australia lead the way in on-farm food safety, Livestock Production Assurance (LPA) is a new on-farm food safety certification program designed to help the red meat industry strengthen the food safety systems currently in place.


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