Keeping farm animals

The first thing you must do when you are looking to own cattle (cows), sheep, pigs, goats, alpacas, llamas, horses, deer or more than 100 poultry is apply for a Livestock Property Identification Code (PIC).   

PICs are free and easy to obtain through the Agriculture Victoria website. PICs are important in the event of a serious livestock disease outbreak. 

They allow for the tracing of animals to detect where an outbreak may have started and to help control and eradicate disease.   

PICs are also linked to systems such as the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) and commercial operators will need a PIC to sell and move animals.   

Feeding food waste to pigs, known as swill feeding, poses a huge risk for the entry and spread of devastating animal diseases into Australia.

Swill feeding was the route by which infection was introduced to the UK, causing the devastating 2001 outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease. 

Food waste containing meat, other animal by-products, some dairy products and any food that has come into contact with these prohibited foods must not be fed to pigs. 

Some examples of food that must not be provided to pigs: meat, meat products and some dairy products including butter, cheese and yoghurt, vegetables, rice, pasta and any other food that has been in direct contact with meat, pizza bun rolls, meat pies, bacon and cheese rolls, salad rolls containing meat, Caesar salad (because it contains bacon pieces), steak, hamburgers, sausages and butcher’s shop waste. If in doubt about the suitability of any food, do not feed it to your animals. 

To ensure the best health of your pigs, it is best to have a planned diet. 

There are specific feeds available that are designed to meet the nutritional needs of pigs and keep them in the best condition.  

A range of information on pig health and welfare information is available from the Department of Environment and Primary Industries and this includes specific information on prohibited pig feeds.