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Movement Services | NLIS

Overview

The National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) is Australia’s livestock identification and tracing system. The MPaaS implementation provides comprehensive movement and identification management capabilities for cattle and sheep enterprises. NLIS enables secure tracking of livestock movements via a web service interface using SOAP/XML protocol.

Service ID: 6a341eb4-828a-472f-afef-5566671738a1 Service Tag: NLIS Service Name: National Livestock Identification System Countries: Australia Supported Species: Cattle, Sheep Property Type: Farm Property Identifier Format: PIC (Property Identification Code) Authentication Method: Property Username & Password

Transaction Types

Transaction Type	Capability	Description	Species Support	Key Fields	Status
Move Off	`IMoveOffCapable`	Record livestock departure from a property	Cattle, Sheep	Departure Location (PIC), Destination Location (PIC), Departure Date, Serial Number, NVD Reference	Core
Move On	`IMoveOnCapable`	Record livestock arrival at a property	Cattle, Sheep	Departure Location (PIC), Arrival Location (PIC), Departure Date, Arrival Date, Serial Number, NVD Reference	Core
Death	`IDeathCapable`	Record livestock death event	Cattle, Sheep	Death Location (PIC), Death Date, Serial Number	Core
Replace Tag	`IRetagCapable`	Replace animal RFID tag	Cattle, Sheep	Retag Date, Old RFID, New RFID	Core

Field Keys Explanation

NLIS field keys use a fully-qualified namespace format: NLIS.<Domain>.<Field>. Each field has both a Specific Key (NLIS-prefixed) and a Generic Key (generic livestock domain). Both forms are accepted in transaction submissions.

Key Naming Convention

Specific Keys (NLIS namespace): NLIS.Departure.Location, NLIS.Death.Date, etc.
Generic Keys (Fields namespace): Departure.Identifier, Death.Date, etc.

The system automatically maps between both formats during validation and processing.

Common Field Types

Type	Format	Example	Validation
String	Text	`3SCAT039`	No specific constraints
DateTime	ISO 8601	`2019-01-30T00:00:00`	Format: YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS
RFID	Space-separated numeric	`982 123477466062`	Format: NNN NNNNNNNNNNNN (12 digits)

Special Location Codes

DECEASED: Special code used in Death transactions to indicate animal mortality
PIC Format: 8-character alphanumeric code identifying Australian properties

Detailed Transaction Types

1. Move Off (Departure)

Records the departure of livestock from a property. Used for sales, transfers to other locations, or movement off a property.

Field Mapping

Specific Key	Generic Key	Data Type	Required	Description	Validation
`NLIS.Departure.Location`	`Departure.Identifier`	String	Yes	PIC of departure property	Regex: `[0-9A-Z]{8}`
`NLIS.Destination.Location`	`Destination.Identifier`	String	Yes	PIC of destination property	Regex: `[0-9A-Z]{8}`
`NLIS.Departure.Date`	`Departure.Date`	DateTime	Yes	Date of departure	Format: YYYY-MM-DD
`NLIS.Movement.SerialNo`	`SerialNumber`	String	No	Serial number reference	Free text
`NLIS.Movement.NvdReference`	`Movement.MovementId`	String	Conditional	NVD number (required for sheep mobs)	Free text
`NLIS.Movement.Reference`	`Movement.Reference`	String	No	Reference name	Free text
`NLIS.Movement.FreeText`	Free text field	String	No	Additional comments	Free text
`NLIS.Movement.Comment`	Free text field	String	No	Comment	Free text
`NLIS.Sheep.BredOnVendor`	`Departure.HomeBred`	String	No	Bred on vendor PIC (sheep)	Free text
`NLIS.Sheep.TimeSincePurchase`	`Destination.TimeSincePurchase`	String	No	Time since purchase (sheep)	Free text

Example JSON Request

{
  "transactionType": "MOV-OFF",
  "speciesCode": "C",
  "transactionDate": "2019-01-30T09:00:00+10:00",
  "fields": {
    "NLIS.Departure.Location": "3SCAT039",
    "NLIS.Destination.Location": "3SCAT040",
    "NLIS.Departure.Date": "2019-01-30T00:00:00",
    "NLIS.Movement.SerialNo": "MOV001",
    "NLIS.Movement.NvdReference": "NVD12345"
  },
  "animals": [
    {
      "rfid": "982 123477466062"
    },
    {
      "rfid": "982 123477466063"
    }
  ]
}

Validation Rules

Cattle: At least one tagged animal (RFID) required; untagged animals not supported (warning if provided)
Sheep: Can use untagged animals (mob-based movements); NVD Reference conditionally required for mob movements
Location PIC: Cannot be identical between departure and destination
Date Format: Must be ISO 8601 format (YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS)
RFID Uniqueness: All RFIDs must be unique within the transaction

2. Move On (Arrival)

Records the arrival of livestock at a property. Used to confirm receipt of animals following a departure transaction.

Field Mapping

Specific Key	Generic Key	Data Type	Required	Description	Validation
`NLIS.Departure.Location`	`Departure.Identifier`	String	Yes	PIC of original departure property	Regex: `[0-9A-Z]{8}`
`NLIS.Movement.Arrival.Location`	`Destination.Identifier`	String	Yes	PIC of arrival (destination) property	Regex: `[0-9A-Z]{8}`
`NLIS.Departure.Date`	`Departure.Date`	DateTime	Yes	Date of original departure	Format: YYYY-MM-DD
`NLIS.Movement.Arrival.Date`	`Destination.ArrivalDate`	DateTime	Yes	Date of arrival at destination	Format: YYYY-MM-DD
`NLIS.Movement.SerialNo`	`SerialNumber`	String	No	Serial number reference	Free text
`NLIS.Movement.NvdReference`	`Movement.MovementId`	String	Conditional	NVD number (required for sheep mobs)	Free text
`NLIS.Movement.Reference`	`Movement.Reference`	String	No	Reference name	Free text
`NLIS.Movement.FreeText`	Free text field	String	No	Additional comments	Free text
`NLIS.Movement.Comment`	Free text field	String	No	Comment	Free text
`NLIS.Sheep.BredOnVendor`	`Departure.HomeBred`	String	No	Bred on vendor PIC (sheep)	Free text
`NLIS.Sheep.TimeSincePurchase`	`Destination.TimeSincePurchase`	String	No	Time since purchase (sheep)	Free text

Example JSON Request

{
  "transactionType": "MOV-ON",
  "speciesCode": "C",
  "transactionDate": "2019-01-30T14:30:00+10:00",
  "fields": {
    "NLIS.Departure.Location": "3SCAT039",
    "NLIS.Movement.Arrival.Location": "3SCAT040",
    "NLIS.Departure.Date": "2019-01-30T00:00:00",
    "NLIS.Movement.Arrival.Date": "2019-01-30T00:00:00",
    "NLIS.Movement.NvdReference": "NVD12345"
  },
  "animals": [
    {
      "rfid": "982 123477466062"
    },
    {
      "rfid": "982 123477466063"
    }
  ]
}

Validation Rules

Cattle: At least one tagged animal (RFID) required
Sheep: Can use untagged animals; NVD Reference conditionally required
Date Consistency: Arrival date must be equal to or after departure date
RFID Uniqueness: All RFIDs must be unique within the transaction

3. Death

Records the death or slaughter of a livestock animal.

Field Mapping

Specific Key	Generic Key	Data Type	Required	Description	Validation
`NLIS.Death.Location`	`Death.Location`	String	Yes	PIC of death location property	Regex: `[0-9A-Z]{8}`
`NLIS.Death.Date`	`Death.Date`	DateTime	Yes	Date of death	Format: YYYY-MM-DD
`NLIS.Death.SerialNo`	`SerialNumber`	String	No	Serial number reference	Free text
`NLIS.Death.Reference`	`Movement.Reference`	String	No	Reference name	Free text

Example JSON Request

{
  "transactionType": "DTH",
  "speciesCode": "C",
  "transactionDate": "2019-01-30T11:15:00+10:00",
  "fields": {
    "NLIS.Death.Location": "3SCAT039",
    "NLIS.Death.Date": "2019-01-30T00:00:00",
    "NLIS.Death.SerialNo": "DEATH001"
  },
  "animals": [
    {
      "rfid": "982 123477466062"
    }
  ]
}

Validation Rules

Animal Required: At least one animal (with RFID) must be provided
RFID Format: Must follow standard RFID format (space-separated numeric)
Date Validity: Death date must be valid and in proper format

4. Replace Tag (Retag)

Records the replacement of an animal’s RFID tag due to damage, loss, or administrative requirements.

Field Mapping

Specific Key	Generic Key	Data Type	Required	Description	Validation
`NLIS.Retag.Date`	`Retag.Date`	DateTime	Yes	Date of tag replacement	Format: YYYY-MM-DD

Example JSON Request

{
  "transactionType": "RET",
  "speciesCode": "C",
  "transactionDate": "2019-01-30T10:45:00+10:00",
  "fields": {
    "NLIS.Retag.Date": "2019-01-30T00:00:00"
  },
  "animals": [
    {
      "rfid": "982 123477466062",
      "newRfid": "982 123477466063"
    }
  ]
}

Validation Rules

Both RFIDs Required: Old RFID and New RFID must both be present in the animal record
RFID Format: Both old and new RFIDs must follow standard format
Unique New RFID: New RFID must be unique and not already in use

Species Support

Cattle (Code: `C`)

Supported Transactions:

Move Off
Move On
Death
Replace Tag

Requirements:

Tagged animals mandatory (RFID required)
Untagged animals not supported (warning if provided)
PIC must be valid 8-character Australian property identifier

Validation:

At least one animal with valid RFID must be provided for movement/death transactions
RFIDs must be unique within the transaction

Sheep (Code: `S`)

Supported Transactions:

Move Off
Move On
Death
Replace Tag

Requirements:

Can use tagged animals (RFID) or untagged mob-based movements
Untagged animals include:
- Head count (required)
- Herd number identifier (required)
Additional fields for sheep:
- NLIS.Sheep.BredOnVendor: Indicates if bred on vendor’s property
- NLIS.Sheep.TimeSincePurchase: Time since animal purchase

Validation:

For untagged mob movements: Must include UntaggedAnimals with HeadCount and HerdNumber
For tagged movements: At least one animal with valid RFID
NVD Reference conditionally required for mob movements

Property Identifier Format (PIC)

The Property Identification Code (PIC) is an 8-character alphanumeric identifier used in Australia for property identification. NLIS uses PICs to identify source and destination properties for all livestock movements.

PIC Format Rules

PIC validation follows a specific pattern based on the first character:

First Char	Format	Example	Description
3	3 + 4 letters + 3 digits	`3SCAT039`	Standard property code
V	V + 3 letters + 4 digits	`VXYZ1234`	Vendor property code
N	N + 1 letter (A-K) + 6 digits	`NA123456`	Network property
Q	Q + 1 letter (A-K) + 2 letters + 3 digits	`QA12AB34`	Special property type
S	S + 1 letter (A-K) + 6 digits	`SA123456`	Specific classification
M	M + 1 letter (A-K) + 2 letters + 3 digits	`MA12AB34`	Market property
W	W + 1 letter (A-K) + 2 letters + 3 digits	`WA12AB34`	Waterway property
T	T + 1 letter (A-K) + 2 letters + 3 digits	`TA12AB34`	Transit property
EUAB	EUAB + 4 digits	`EUAB1234`	EU property (export)
EUAY	EUAY + 4 digits	`EUAY1234`	EU property (alternative)

Emergency PICs

Emergency PICs follow the standard format with ‘Z’ as the second character for any valid first character:

Example: 3Z123456 (emergency tag-tails)

Special PICs

DECEASED: Used in Death transactions to indicate animal mortality
Typical destination for death records

Authentication

Credential Types

NLIS requires property-level authentication using:

Credential	Type	Required	Description
Username	String	Yes	Property operator username for NLIS system
Password	String	Yes	Property operator password (encrypted in transmission)
Property Type	String	No	Defaults to “F” (Farm); can be customized per property
Email	String	No	Optional contact email for service provider

Authentication Validation

The system validates credentials by:

User Credential Validation: Validates username/password against NLIS system
- Sends GetEuPics query via SOAP to verify access
- Returns true if credentials are valid
- Returns false if “Invalid username or password” response received
- Throws exception if system is in maintenance mode
Property Validation: Validates property PIC format
- Checks PIC matches one of the valid Australian property identifier patterns
- Returns true only if PIC format is valid

Error Handling & Validation Messages

Validation Error Messages

Error Code	Message	Condition
`InvalidDataValue`	“At least one tagged animal has to be provided”	Cattle transaction without tagged animals
`InvalidDataValue`	“At least one tagged or untagged animal has to be provided”	Sheep transaction without any animals
`InvalidDataValue`	“RFID must be provided for each animal”	Tagged animal without RFID
`InvalidDataValue`	“At least one untagged animal has to be provided”	Sheep mob movement without untagged animals
`ConditionViolation`	“Departure and Destination locations cannot be the same”	Identical source and destination PICs
`DuplicateAnimal`	“RFID must be unique for each animal”	Duplicate RFIDs in transaction
`InvalidDataFormat`	“Not a valid PIC format”	Invalid property identifier

Service Errors

Error Type	Description	Action
ServiceSystemError	“System is down for Maintenance”	Retry later; system unavailable
InvalidCredentials	“Invalid username or password”	Verify credentials with NLIS provider
InvalidProperty	“Property not found or not accessible”	Verify PIC exists and is valid

Service Registry & Configuration

Transaction Flow Example

Move Off Transaction Flow

1. Client submits Move Off transaction with:
   - Departure PIC: 3SCAT039
   - Destination PIC: 3SCAT040
   - Animals with RFIDs
   
2. System validation:
   - Checks PIC formats valid
   - Verifies PICs are different
   - Validates RFIDs present (cattle)
   - Verifies date format
   
3. Packing:
   - Builds P2PTransfer SOAP message
   - Includes NLIS authentication headers
   - Serializes to XML
   
4. Transmission:
   - Sends via HTTPS to NLIS endpoint
   - Includes timestamp (date/time)
   
5. Response:
   - Returns success with transaction ID
   - Or returns NLIS error message
   
6. Error Handling:
   - Maps NLIS errors to standard codes
   - Returns to client

Movement Services | NLIS

Overview

Transaction Types

Field Keys Explanation

Key Naming Convention

Common Field Types

Special Location Codes

Detailed Transaction Types

1. Move Off (Departure)

Field Mapping

Example JSON Request

Validation Rules

2. Move On (Arrival)

Field Mapping

Example JSON Request

Validation Rules

3. Death

Field Mapping

Example JSON Request

Validation Rules

4. Replace Tag (Retag)

Field Mapping

Example JSON Request

Validation Rules

Species Support

Cattle (Code: C)

Sheep (Code: S)

Property Identifier Format (PIC)

PIC Format Rules

Emergency PICs

Special PICs

Authentication

Credential Types

Authentication Validation

Returns true only if PIC format is valid

Error Handling & Validation Messages

Validation Error Messages

Service Errors

Service Registry & Configuration

Transaction Flow Example

Move Off Transaction Flow

Additional Resources

Related Services

External References

Related Documentation

Cattle (Code: `C`)

Sheep (Code: `S`)