Victorian Consolidated Legislation

Livestock Disease Control Act 1994 - SECT 9A

Permanent identification of livestock

9A. Permanent identification of livestock







(1) The owner of any cattle or prescribed livestock or livestock of a
prescribed species or class must ensure that the cattle or livestock is
permanently tagged, marked, branded or identified-

   (a)  in the circumstances set out in section 9(a), (b), (c) or (d); or

   (b)  in any other prescribed circumstances-

in the manner specified by the Secretary with a tag, mark, brand or other
device that-

   (c)  is approved by the Secretary; and

   (d)  has an identification code allocated by the Secretary under section 9B
        comprising a combination of letters or numbers or both that identifies
        the property of birth of the cattle or livestock or the property where
        the cattle or livestock is kept; and

   (e)  has a number identifying the individual cattle or livestock; and

   (f)  is manufactured or sold by a person who is authorised to do so under
        section 9C.

Penalty: 60 penalty units.

(2) If any cattle or prescribed livestock or livestock of a prescribed species
or class has been tagged, marked, branded or identified in accordance with
subsection (1), a person must not remove that tag, mark, brand or
identification device from the cattle or livestock or deface, obliterate or
alter the tag, mark, brand or identification device except-

   (a)  in accordance with a direction of an inspector; or

   (b)  if the tag is removed from the cattle or livestock, or the mark, brand
        or identification is defaced, obliterated or altered, by a person
        working at an abattoir or knackery where the cattle or livestock is
        being slaughtered or disposed of; or

   (c)  in accordance with the regulations.

Penalty: 60 penalty units.

(3) Without limiting subsection (1), the Secretary may require cattle or
livestock or any species or class of livestock to be tagged, marked, branded
or identified with a device that contains an electronic microchip that
incorporates the identification code allocated by the Secretary under section
9B and the number that identifies the individual cattle or livestock.

(4) The Secretary must ensure that a notice is published in the Government
Gazette and in a newspaper circulating generally throughout Victoria
specifying any requirements of the Secretary for the purposes of this section.