REPRESENTATIVES from the WA Police and the Livestock Compliance Unit met last week for a debrief session to discuss issues impacting investigations of stock theft.
As reported recently in Farm Weekly, Narrogin Police said the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) for sheep was hampering their ability to prosecute for stock theft and suggested an electronic system as used for cattle, would be better.
Such comments were included in the official report filed by Narrogin Police, after its investigation into alleged stock theft, which saw them seize more than 700 head of sheep from a Moodiarrup farm near Kojonup in late May.
All but two of the sheep were returned to the property owner and no charges were laid in relation to stock theft but several charges were laid under the Firearms Act and the Stock Identification and Movement Act.
Those charges will be heard in the Katanning Magistrates Court on November 10.
According to Detective Sergeant Peter McGee, the current sheep identification system combined with non-compliance by producers, made it difficult for them to determine any continuity of stock movements or prove where stock was from.
"The current identification system and general non-compliance of it makes it next to impossible to prosecute for stock theft," Det. McGee said.
"It's an onerous system and I can understand why producers don't comply but they need to understand that by doing so it means we're unable to determine where stock has come from."
Det. McGee said they were still receiving reports of stock theft but there were currently no active investigations because they did not have any leads on any of the reports.
He said they worked hand in hand with the Livestock Compliance Unit (LCU) in investigating reports.
"Stock theft is still a big problem, at last count there were more than 6000 head of sheep missing in the Great Southern," he said.
Biosecurity Compliance and Investigations manager Lance Sgro said the LCU and WA Police had a strong working relationship and held a range of joint operations involving livestock offences.
Mr Sgro said a recent example was Operation Tennent 3, in which police received information about the alleged theft of sheep, which led to a number of search warrants being executed in the Moodiarrup area.
"In the course of the investigation, more than 700 sheep were seized to allow forensic examination and investigations as to the origins of the sheep," Mr Sgro said. "Part of that forensic examination related to the use or misuse of ear tags on the seized animals."
After the debrief session last week, it became apparent that NLIS was of little or no use to police investigating stock theft cases.
Mr Sgro said NLIS was not intended for such use and was developed for biosecurity.
"The NLIS is a lifetime identification system developed to provide for food safety and biosecurity," he said.
"It was not developed to be used in the event of stock theft and although it can be useful, police have advised the Agriculture and Food Department that they require proof beyond reasonable doubt and the investigation and forensic examination in this instance was not able to support a prima facie case.
"The sheep seized in this exercise had been purchased over many years and the majority were able to be traced back to a property of origin."
Narrogin Police also found problems with a lack of national vendor declaration (NVD)/waybills compliance, and said most producers filled them out incorrectly.
Det. McGee said unless producers were moving a mob of sheep with the same tag, all sheep needed to be recorded individually, which admittedly took a long time.
At the moment, most producers simply wrote "various" on their NVD/waybills, which was not compliant with the act.
But Agriculture and Food Department brands registrar Farran Dixon said the State's use of the NLIS in sheep was achieving excellent compliance levels according to saleyard inspection results.
Dr Dixon said in combination with WA's stock movement documentation requirements, NLIS allowed sheep and goats to be effectively traced back to their last property of residence.
"Tracing to the last property of residence is required by many trading partners and is necessary when tracing disease, meat contamination or chemical use issues in order to minimise financial damage to individual producers and the WA livestock industry," Dr Dixon said.
"During the past financial year, WA saleyards have achieved a 98 per cent NLIS and stock movement compliance rate in the approximately 14,900 lots of sheep sold.
"While 98pc is an excellent result in the saleyards, there is still room to improve as processors supplying the European Union require 100pc compliance in EU-bound lines."
Dr Dixon said that while it was not the primary purpose of NLIS, correct NLIS identification could also assist an owner to establish ownership of sheep.
"Many owners buying sheep did not apply pink NLIS tags to them until they were about to sell them again," he said.
"While it is not compulsory to apply pink tags bearing the new owner's brand to bought sheep on arrival at the new property, it is recommended.
"Once the new owner's pink tags have been applied, it is immediately clear who owns the stock should they stray.
"Accurate and complete movement documentation such as the waybill or NVD are also essential for sheep traceability and make it easier to return stray sheep to their correct owners.
"Department officers can assist producers with NLIS, brands and stock movement inquiries and there are many resources available on the department's website."
