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What the system knows
about every animal.

Every animal registered in Livestock OS carries a growing chain record. From the moment it is registered on a farm, every movement, inspection, health event, and outcome is timestamped and attached to that identity. This is what that record contains — and what it can be used for.

The Animal Record

Every animal record
is built in layers.

A Livestock OS animal record is not a static form. It is a living record that grows as the animal moves through the chain. Each layer is immutable once written — it cannot be edited, only appended to by an authorised role.

Identity layer
  • Livestock OS unique identifier (batch and individual)
  • Ear tag number (primary identification)
  • RFID or electronic tag reference where available
  • Species and breed
  • Sex and age category
  • Farm of origin and registered owner at registration
  • Registration date and timestamp
Health & compliance layer
  • Veterinary Health Certificate reference and timestamp
  • Issuing veterinarian registration number
  • VHC validity window start and expiry
  • FMD zone at time of inspection
  • Inspection findings and certification outcome
  • Compliance documents attached to batch
  • Any health holds raised during the chain
Movement layer
  • Transport declaration reference
  • Vehicle registration and driver
  • Load date, time, and origin facility
  • Destination facility and ETA
  • FMD zones crossed (if any)
  • Arrival timestamp and gate confirmation
  • Head count declared vs head count arrived
  • Any holds raised at intake and their resolution
Processing layer
  • Ante-mortem inspection outcome
  • Slaughter date and time
  • Carcass identity (linked to animal identity)
  • Carcass classification and weight
  • Condemnation decision (if applicable) with reason
  • Laboratory sample references
  • Final laboratory results
  • Chain closure timestamp
Identity Structure

What an animal identity
looks like in the system.

The following shows the fields that form an animal identity record in Livestock OS V001. Fields are validated on entry. The record is immutable once each stage is confirmed.

Animal identity record — field structure
LOS ID
System-generated unique identifier assigned at registration. Persists across all chain events.
Ear tag
Farmer-assigned or RMIS-issued ear tag number. Primary physical identity reference.
Species
Bovine, ovine, caprine, porcine, equine or other — determines applicable regulatory requirements.
Breed
Registered breed name. Used for classification, pedigree linkage (when available), and export documentation.
Sex
Male / female / castrate. Required for batch composition reporting and carcass classification.
Age category
A2 / A3 / B / C categories used at classification. Captured at registration and confirmed at slaughter.
Farm of origin
Registered farm entity ID. Links animal to the farm record, owner, province, and FMD zone.
Registration date
UTC timestamp of identity creation. Immutable. Forms the start of the audit trail.
Batch reference
Links the individual animal to the movement batch it was grouped with for a specific transit event.
Audit Trail

Every event is timestamped
and attached to a role.

No action in Livestock OS is anonymous. Every write to the chain record carries the authenticated user ID, the role, and the UTC timestamp. The following shows the structure of the audit trail as it builds through the chain.

Day 0 · 08:14 UTC
Farm Operator
Animal registered against ear tag identity. Batch created with 42 head. Farm of origin: Protea Reserve Co. State → BATCH CREATED.
Day 0 · 14:32 UTC
Veterinarian
Inspection completed. Veterinary Health Certificate issued and authenticated electronic approval recorded. Certificate validity rules applied per applicable disease-control protocol and permit conditions. State → VET APPROVED.
Day 0 · 16:05 UTC
Farm Operator
Compliance documents confirmed. Batch cleared for movement. State → COMPLIANCE CLEARED.
Day 1 · 05:18 UTC
Transport Operator
Movement declared. Vehicle ZZ 123 GP. Driver on record. FMD zone: Disease-Free. ETA: Day 1 · 12:30. State → IN TRANSIT.
Day 1 · 12:47 UTC
Gate Operator
Batch arrived. Head count confirmed: 42/42. Condition on arrival: normal. Batch cleared. State → ARRIVED.
Day 2 · 06:30 UTC
Abattoir Operator
Ante-mortem inspection completed — all 42 head passed. Slaughter commenced. State → SLAUGHTERED.
Day 4 · 09:12 UTC
Abattoir Operator
Laboratory results captured for all 42 carcasses. Chain record closed. State → RESULTS RECORDED.
Note: The example above uses illustrative data to show the structure of an audit trail. All values shown — names, counts, timestamps — are for illustration only. No real animal, operator, or facility data is represented here.
What Traceability Enables

A closed chain record
answers real questions.

Once a chain record is closed, it can be queried by authorised participants to answer traceability, compliance, and audit questions. The following are examples of queries a closed record supports.

Disease response
  • Which farm did this batch originate from?
  • Which other farms were supplied from the same origin farm in the past 30 days?
  • Which transport operator moved this batch, and what route was taken?
  • Which FMD zones were crossed during this movement?
  • Which veterinarian issued the VHC for this batch?
Compliance audit
  • Was a valid, in-date VHC attached to this batch at the time of movement?
  • Who confirmed intake at the destination facility, and when?
  • Were any holds raised during transit or at gate, and how were they resolved?
  • Which operator signed off on each step of the chain?
  • Is the complete chain record available from farm to final result?
Ownership & theft
  • Who was the registered owner of this animal at the time of movement?
  • Has ownership changed since registration — and when?
  • Is this ear tag associated with a registered South African farm entity?
  • Has this identity been flagged in any previous movement event?
Export & market access
  • What is the complete movement history of this consignment?
  • Were all pre-slaughter health requirements met and documented?
  • What laboratory results are on record for these carcasses?
  • Can a compliance package be generated for this batch?