Moving animals from a Movement Control Area (MCA)
About Movement Control Areas
Movement Control Areas are legally defined areas where there is a greater-than-normal risk of TB infection from possums infected with TB. If your property is in an MCA, you must comply with restrictions on the movement of your stock. This includes when you:
- buy stock
- sell stock
- move stock onto or off your property for grazing.
Find out if a property is in a Movement Control Area
Check our disease control map to see if a property is in an MCA.
Contact us if you're still unsure whether your property is in a Movement Control Area.
If your animals are within a Movement Control Area
Cattle over three months and deer over eight months old require a clear TB test within 60 days before being moved off a property, whether they are being sold or moved for grazing.
Exceptions to TB test requirements
You don’t need to do a pre-movement TB test when stock is going direct to slaughter.
In some other situations, you can apply for exemption from pre-movement testing in an MCA. Cases where you might do this include:
- in a civil disaster
- when moving animals back to your property after short-term grazing in a Movement Control Area
- situations that involve risks to animal welfare
- when there is a lack of TB testing facilities, or
- three weeks before and after a cow gives birth.
We only issue exemptions in exceptional circumstances, and your animals may be tested for TB after they move. Contact us to find out if you can apply for exemption.
Before you move the animals
As the Person in Charge of Animals (PICA), you must declare that the animals are moving from a Movement Control Area when you complete your Animal Status Declaration (ASD).
Booking a pre-movement TB test
You need to give 14 days' notice to arrange a pre-movement TB test.
If you're moving cattle or deer, request a test through our online booking form.
Restrictions on moving animals from an infected herd
Apart from animals going directly to slaughter, moving stock out of an infected herd is restricted and controlled by the managing veterinarian.
More Information
Livestock movement control