Successful Trial of Electronic National Vendor Declaration forms for the Victorian Livestock Industry
13 April 2015
A ‘proof of concept’ trial with implementation strategies for the uptake of new technologies within the livestock industry has been successfully piloted in Victoria with electronic national vendor declaration (eNVD) forms across the livestock supply chain.
The national vendor declaration (NVDs) forms document the movement of livestock between locations, requiring producers to share important information about livestock history and compliance. These forms are essential for upholding Australia’s food safety reputation for meat and livestock.
Until the commencement of this project only hard copy versions of national vendor declaration forms were available.
The trialling of a range of software and hardware solutions to create an electronic NVD (eNVD) at the farm gate addresses some of the practical limitations associated with hard copy forms, and enables a range of new technologies and technology devices (including tablets and smart phones) to be trialled to enhance the digital capability of the NVD system across the livestock marketing chain.
Since its commencement in early 2014 interest in the project has grown with substantial support received from the livestock industry. The lead partner on the project, Livestock Saleyard Association of Victoria (LSAV), together with Dairy Industry Victoria, has drawn together partners from Federation University’s Centre for eResearch and Digital Innovation (CeRDI), the Victorian Government, the Victorian Farmers Federation, Midfield Meats, and key livestock industry representatives including farmers, livestock agents and transporters, and saleyard representatives.
With its expertise in eResearch and innovation, Federation University contributed to this project as a member of the steering group, offering advice relating to the technology platforms, and coordinating tender and contracting processes for the project. Federation University also provided the project management and evaluation support to this project.
Consequently, four organisations from the technology industry were involved in the project to develop the various solutions, including Sapien Technology, Livestock Exchange, Triton (partnering with Litams Aus) and Thorsys Australia. The resulting technology products have enabled a range of trials to be undertaken across the livestock supply chain that allow comprehensive testing of various digital options for generating eNVDs from the start of the supply chain (at the farm gate) and across the supply chain, including at saleyards and at processing systems.
During the trial, feedback was sought from producers, saleyard managers, agents, processors and transporters. Findings indicate that there are benefits associated with the introduction of an electronic system for NVDs that include major time savings, and increases in accuracy and timeliness. One of the recommendations from the project is for a phased rollout of a national system in which significant resources are provided to support the industry to adopt eNVDs which would involve comprehensive training and support for the industry, sector-wide.
The outcomes of this project were shared with industry representatives during a demonstration day held near Melbourne, in November, which was well received. The media attention following this event saw the generation of stories in Stock and Land, and calls from leading industry organisations for the swift introduction of a national eNVD system.
While the current eNVD project is now almost complete the learnings from the project has generated a commitment between the present project partners and Meat and Livestock Association for a national project. This will enable the progression towards a national system of eNVDs under the guidance of the SAFEMEAT review Committee.
Funding for this project and trial was made available through the Victorian Government’s Digital Futures Fund.
For further information about this project, contact Mark McDonald, Executive officer and Project Manager, Livestock Saleyard Association Victoria, MOB: 0422 312607, or CeRDI Project Manager, Greg McKenzie, T: 03 5327 9236