Direct answers about what Livestock OS is, how it works, who can use it, and what you need to get started.
About the System
What it is and how it works.
What is Livestock OS?
Livestock OS is South Africa's livestock movement, compliance, and traceability control layer. It is a digital system that sits above the existing livestock chain and enforces the rules, sequences, and verifications required to move animals from farm to abattoir with a complete, verifiable chain record. It is not a farm management app — it is a control layer.
Does Livestock OS replace the systems I already use?
No. Livestock OS does not replace farm management software, abattoir management systems, or any other existing platform. It sits above these systems and adds a shared state of record — validating, sequencing, and enforcing the chain — without requiring you to abandon what you already have.
Who can use Livestock OS?
Livestock OS is available to farms and producers, veterinarians, transport operators, feedlots, and abattoirs. These five participant types have operational portals in V001. Auction houses, laboratories, stud breeders, breed societies, and government entities can apply through the partner onboarding pathway. See the Value Chain page for the full participant directory.
Is Livestock OS only for large commercial operations?
No. Livestock OS is designed for all scale operations — from smallholder farms and individual vet practices through to large commercial feedlots and multi-facility abattoirs. The portal design prioritises simplicity for low digital literacy users, while maintaining full traceability and compliance capability.
What species does Livestock OS support?
Livestock OS V001 supports bovine (cattle), ovine (sheep), caprine (goats), and porcine (pigs) — the species covered by the Meat Safety Act 40 of 2000. Equine and other species are on the development roadmap. The system is also applicable to game through the same chain structure, subject to applicable regulations.
Compliance & Legal
Regulatory and legal questions.
Is a digital VHC legally valid?
Livestock OS records authenticated electronic approvals and timestamps for all certificate actions. The legal status and required signature method for each certificate remain subject to the applicable legislation, permit conditions and acceptance by the relevant authority. The Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 (ECTA 2002) provides a framework for electronic transactions in South Africa — however, whether the electronic record constitutes the legally required certificate for any specific movement is determined by the applicable regulations and the accepting authority. Operators should confirm the accepted format for their specific permit and movement conditions with the relevant state veterinarian.
How does Livestock OS handle Veterinary Health Certificate validity?
Certificate and movement validity rules are applied according to the relevant disease-control protocol, permit conditions, species, origin, destination and authorised veterinary requirements. Livestock OS enforces the applicable validity rules as a system gate — a batch with an invalid or expired VHC cannot advance through the movement chain without a new certificate. The specific validity period depends on the protocol and permit conditions applicable to each movement. The current LIVESTOCK OS pilot workflow applies a defined validity window as a system rule — subject to authorised regulatory confirmation.
Does Livestock OS ensure regulatory compliance?
Livestock OS captures and enforces the data and sequencing that compliance requires. It does not replace the legal obligations of the relevant authorised persons — the vet who signs the VHC, the state vet authority, the abattoir inspector, and so on. Compliance verification against specific Acts is the responsibility of those authorised persons. Livestock OS provides the chain record that supports that process.
Is my data protected under POPIA?
Livestock OS is designed for POPIA-aligned data handling under the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA 2020). Consent is captured at registration. Participants have defined data rights. Data hosting and cross-border processing are governed by the platform privacy notice and applicable POPIA safeguards. If you have a specific POPIA query, contact us at contact.
Getting Started
Joining and accessing the system.
How do I join Livestock OS?
Submit a registration through the Join page. Provide your entity details — farm, practice, facility, or organisation type. A Livestock OS operator will verify your registration and issue portal access. Access is role-based: your portal will reflect the permissions relevant to your participant type.
What is the pilot programme?
The Livestock OS pilot programme is designed for operations that want to evaluate the system in their actual working environment before full onboarding. A pilot includes supported setup, a defined test period, and a structured review. To apply, submit a request through the pilot request page.
What does it cost?
Pricing for Livestock OS is structured per participant type and is confirmed during the onboarding process. We do not publish a generic price list because the right structure depends on the scale and nature of your operation. Contact us or submit a join request to receive a pricing proposal relevant to your situation.
Do I need internet access to use Livestock OS?
Livestock OS is a web-based system that requires an internet connection for all chain actions — registration, VHC issuance, movement declaration, gate confirmation, and abattoir capture. Offline PWA capability for low-connectivity field use is on the development roadmap for a future version.
My question isn't here — where do I ask?
Use the contact page to send a direct query. For partnership and integration enquiries, use the Partner With Us page. We will respond directly.