Registering as a biosecurity entity

If you own or keep certain animals in Queensland, you must be registered as a biosecurity entity.

Apply for registration

Complete the online account registration form on the biosecurity entity registration portal.

You will need to provide information about the:

• landowner—the person, persons or organisation that owns the land where the animals are kept
• occupier—the person who lives at the place where the animals are kept.

If you are registering an organisation, include contact details for a preferred contact person that can be contacted if there is a biosecurity emergency.

Registration is free if you don't meet the Australian Taxation Office ruling of carrying out the business of primary production (TR 97/11) as a result of owning the animals.

Property identification code (PIC)

If you own livestock, the place you nominate in your biosecurity entity application will be assigned a property identification code.

Why you need to register

In a biosecurity emergency, having accurate information about where livestock and beehives are kept allows us to:

• assess risk
• trace movements
• keep you informed.

If you own or keep livestock or beehives in Queensland, it's important to:

• register as a biosecurity entity
• renew your registration every 3 years.

Registration is free if you don't meet the Australian Taxation Office ruling of carrying out the business of primary production (TR 97/11) as a result of owning the animals.

Biosecurity entity registration and other systems

Biosecurity entity registration and the property identification code (PIC) system work together to improve biosecurity, allowing us to trace the movements of an identified animal and quickly contact the person responsible for it.

• A PIC relates to the land where animals are kept.
• The registered biosecurity entity is the person, people or organisation responsible for the day-to-day keeping and care of the animals. This is not always the property owner associated with a PIC (e.g. if the owner of the animals leases the property).

Registration also allows livestock owners to use:

• industry quality-assurance programs, including Livestock Production Assurance (LPA) and PigPass
• the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS), which provides permanent identification and traceability of cattle, sheep, pigs and goats.

Who must register

If you own or keep any of the following in Queensland, you must be registered as a biosecurity entity:

• 1 or more
  • cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, bison, buffalo, deer
  • alpacas, llamas, or other animals from the Camelidae family
  • horses, ponies, donkeys, mules, zebras or other animals from the Equidae family
• 100 or more birds that either
  • are raised for human consumption (e.g. poultry)
  • are raised for the production of eggs for human consumption (e.g. poultry)
  • have been released into free flight since they started being kept in captivity (e.g. pigeons)
• 1 or more European honey bee hives.

You need to register if you:

• are a landowner
• are a lessee
• agist your animals on someone else's land
• keep beehives on someone else's land.

A person, persons or organisation can be registered as a biosecurity entity. The registration period for a biosecurity entity is 3 years.

If you own or keep livestock or beehives but would like to discuss an exemption, email rbe@daf.qld.gov.au.

Holding facilities

The biosecurity entity is generally the owner of the animals. However, you must also be registered if you operate a holding facility where livestock are kept temporarily, even if you do not own the animals kept there.

Holding facilities include:

• veterinarian clinics that receive livestock or horses for treatment
• showgrounds or sporting grounds
• local government pound yards
• animal refuges
• saleyards
• clearing dips
• abattoirs or slaughterhouses
• live export and transport depots
• stock routes.