The word livestock is defined as horses, cattle, swine, sheep, goats and deer. The management of livestock in Kingborough is guided by the Traffic (Road Rules) Regulations 1999 and enforced by the Tasmanian Police.
The following information has been put together by Council as an interpretation of legislation and other policies. Please remember this is general advice and contact Council or the Tasmania Police with any specific questions about your situation.
Moving livestock
You don’t need a permit to move your stock, unless you are leading them on a national highway. In this case, you need to talk to the Tasmania Police.
There are some requirements that you should follow when you lead livestock across public roads. These include:
- Livestock must be led by two people (one at the front and one at the rear) on main roads, or one person assisted by a sheep dog or cattle dog for other kinds of roads.
- You should only move livestock during daylight hours (the period extending from 30 minutes after sunrise to 30 minutes before sunset). Stock cannot be led on a road at night except in an emergency, or to lead the stock to or from a dairy. If you do lead livestock at night you must provide warning to other road users with a flashing or rotating amber light.
- By law, you must clean up any dung that your livestock leave on the road.
- Drivers should be able to see the livestock for at least 200 metres before reaching them. If topography, vegetation or structures make this impossible, you must give other road users warning, such as using a yellow sign with the words ‘Stock Ahead’ or a flashing or rotating amber light.
Grazing livestock
You cannot graze your livestock on any Council land, such as a public reserve, unless signs show that area is used for grazing, or you have written permission from the Council General Manager. You may be fined if you allow your animals to do so.
Stock owners are encouraged to use common sense in relation to grazing stock and should be mindful that grazing along roadsides should be minimised at all times. Further clarifications can be obtained from the Community Development Department on (03) 6211 8275.
You can get grazing leases for livestock to be grazed on both private and public land. This ‘rough grazing’ or the grazing of ‘native pastures’ has a long history in Tasmania. Leases or licences to use Crown land are available through the Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment (DPIWE). You can find more information about these in the Crown Lands Act 1976 and Crown Lands Regulations 2001.
Forestry Tasmania manages informal agistment licences for farmers wishing to use State Forest lands for grazing purposes. You can get these from Forestry Tasmania Head Office, 79 Melville Street, Hobart, phone (03) 6233 8203.
Similar arrangements are available for areas owned by Hydro Tasmania and for more information regarding these contact them at 4 Elizabeth Street, Hobart, phone 1300 360 441.
Stray livestock
If we find an animal straying or at large on any highway or on Council land, we may impound it.
If you find stray livestock on your land, you should safely try to detail it and contact the police to let them know you have a stray animal on your property. You must take all reasonable measures to ensure that the welfare of the animal is maintained.
Public Liability Insurance
Farmers are urged to consider that the cover provided to councils under their Insurance scheme does not extend to liability incurred by farmers who graze their stock on roadsides.
For more information refer to Kingborough Council’s Compliance Unit on (03) 6211 8200.
