Animal status declarations

Why animal status is declared

Practices on lifestyle blocks and farms impact on the safety and suitability of animals for processing. Animal status declarations (ASDs) provide important information about your animal or group of animals for:

• other people taking charge of them
• processors requiring guidance for ante-mortem and post-mortem examinations
• determining export eligibility and MPI's ability to sign export certificates on behalf of the Government
• assessing risk of tuberculosis (TB) as required under the Biosecurity (National Bovine Tuberculosis Pest Management Strategy) Order 1998. 

ASDs are covered under the documents below:

Animal Products Notice: Production, Supply and Processing [PDF, 1.9 MB]

Learn more about ASDs in this guidance document [PDF, 557 KB]

When an ASD is required

An ASD form must be completed when:

• moving animals between properties
• sending animals to slaughter.

Moving animals between properties

An ASD must be completed for movements of the following animals from one property to another or to a saleyard – where there is a different person in charge of the animals:

• cattle and calves, including buffalo
• deer
• sheep
• goats
• ostriches
• emus
• pigs.

Sending animals to slaughter

An ASD must be completed for the following animals when sent for processing:

• cattle and calves, including buffalo
• deer
• sheep
• goats
• horses
• alpacas
• llamas
• ostriches
• emus
• pigs.

The only exception is bobby calves sent direct to slaughter under a commercial declaration.

Owners of cattle and deer

Every person owning cattle or deer must register these animals as a herd with TBfree and NAIT. The Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC) provides optional MINDA registration.

Registering with NAIT and TBfree – OSPRI

MINDA – Livestock Improvement Corporation

When transporting NAIT animals, your livestock transporter may request you to provide a declaration that the NAIT animals you are consigning for transport are tagged and registered. Depending on which ASD book you are using, this declaration may be found with your ASD form. However, the declaration is also available here to download and print, if needed.

Declaration to Livestock Transporter (DLT) [PDF, 149 KB]

Order a book of Animal Status Declaration (ASD) forms – OSPRI

Completing an ASD

The ASD must be completed by the person in charge of the animals.
You can use:

• MyOSPSRI for electronic ASDs for animals sent to slaughter or to another farm, or
• a paper form for all animal movements including sale yards.

You can order a book of Animal Status Declaration (ASD) forms from OSPRI, or download and print the ASD form using the link below.

Animal status declaration [PDF, 442 KB]

About Animal Status Declarations (ASDs)

Use a different ASD form for pigs.

Animal status declaration for pigs [PDF, 321 KB]

Animal status declaration for pigs (editable PDF) [PDF, 377 KB]