Requirements
Livestock Production Assurance (LPA) is a program that underpins the National Vendor Declaration and Waybill (LPA NVD/Waybill), which upholds Australia's reputation as a world leader in meat and livestock food safety.
Producers who intend to use a LPA NVD/Waybill must be registered with the LPA program and comply with the program requirements, including agreeing to be part of a random audit pool.
Registering for Livestock Production Assurance
Producers were automatically registered with LPA upon its implementation in 2004. New producers can register online or by telephone on 1800 683 111 by providing the following information:
- Property Identification Code (PIC) or tail tag number (obtained from state departments of primary industries and Livestock Health and Pest Authorities)
- Contact information
- Livestock species
- Other relevant information
Upon completion of this process, the producer is issued with an LPA user ID and password. On-farm management systems must then be reviewed to ensure compliance with the LPA requirements.
LPA requirements
The requirements of LPA directly relate to the five elements of the LPA program, which aim to ensure all animal products produced on the property are safe and, if applicable, fit for human consumption.
These requirements include:
- Element 1: Property risk assessment - Ensuring no livestock are exposed to areas on the property that are contaminated with organochlorines or other persistent chemicals.
- Element 2: Safe and responsible animal treatments - Ensuring no livestock intended for human consumption contain unacceptable chemical residues or physical hazards.
- Element 3: Stock foods, fodder crops, grain and pasture treatments - Ensuring no livestock are exposed to feeds containing unacceptable contamination, specifically any food containing animal products and/or unacceptable chemical residues.
- Element 4: Preparation for dispatch of livestock - Ensuring livestock to be transported are fit to travel, not unduly stressed and contamination is minimised during on-farm assembly and transport to the destination.
- Element 5: Livestock transactions and movements - Ensuring any purchaser of livestock can access the chemical residue or food safety status of the animals and enabling the movement of livestock to be traced if required.
There are guidelines and tools available to help producers meet these requirements.
Applying for full accreditation
Once confident of compliance with LPA requirements, producers need to apply to become fully accredited with the LPA program. This will require the LPA user ID number and password as provided upon registration. This can be completed online or by phoning 1800 683 111.
Producers can then order and purchase an LPA NVD/Waybill book or download the electronic National Vendor Declaration and Waybill (eDEC) program either at the time of applying for full accreditation or at any other time online or by phoning 1800 683 111.
A book contains 20 LPA NVD/Waybills and credit card is the preferred payment option (alternative payment options are available). A cheaper (~40%) and easier alternative to purchasing a book of NVDs is to use the producer eDEC program downloaded from your LPA user profile.
Random audits
Upon registration with LPA, producers enter the LPA random audit pool. This allows Australia to further substantiate its global reputation as a reliable source of safe animal products. The audit process is not arduous or threatening, it underpins the Australian red meat industry's quality claims and confirming producer records verifying LPA NVD/Waybill statements.
Selected producers will be contacted to arrange a suitable time for the audit. There is no fee and there are tools to help producers ensure they are LPA compliant. It is important to remember that the integrity of the industry relies on the claims made on LPA NVD/Waybills and the audits verify these claims.
Key points that will be assessed in the audit include:
- All farm chemicals, including drenches and sprays, are stored where livestock cannot access them.
- All farm chemicals are applied according to their labels.
- All areas on the farm that are, or could be, contaminated with chemical residues eg sheep dips, are identified and managed.
- Livestock are prevented from grazing contaminated sites.
- Livestock are not sold within the withholding period (WHP) for a particular chemical, or if they are, it has been declared on the LPA NVD/Waybill.
- The residue status of stock feeds is known and WHPs are adhered to.
- No livestock have access to Restricted Animal Material (RAM)
- Livestock are not sent for slaughter if they are physically unfit for the journey.
- All transactions and movements between different PICs are accompanied by required documentation.
- Records are maintained.
The key to proving all of the above lies in good record keeping. Easy to use guidelines and tools have been developed to assist in this process and help producers meet their LPA obligations.
More information
LPA Hotline: 1800 683 111
Email: lpa@mla.com.au
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