Approvals and biosecurity

This is the part that catches people out. Approvals can take months, and some ideas are not allowed at all in some places. Check before you pay a deposit on anything.

Rules differ by state and by council. Where we give details, they are for NSW, checked in October 2026. Ring your council and your state agriculture department for the rules where you farm.

Planning and council

Intensive enterprises need the most checking. NSW DPIRD says keeping pigs is classed as intensive livestock agriculture, including free-range pigs. It is prohibited in some land-use zones. Council decides the development application, which is the formal request for approval. Councils can also cap pig numbers and set buffers from sensitive sites nearby.

Bigger operations may need an environment licence too. In NSW, a piggery built for more than 2,000 pigs or 200 breeding sows needs a licence under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997.

A feedlot also needs an early talk with council. Grazing sheep or cattle on country already used for grazing usually needs much less, but still ask.

Water and effluent

Housed stock need reliable water, and the water rules can be different from those for grazing stock. Sheds also make effluent, which is the manure and wash water. It needs somewhere to go, so cost the ponds and reuse area into the build.

Biosecurity and traceability

Biosecurity means keeping pests and diseases out. Traceability means being able to trace where stock have been.

• PIC. A property identification code is a number for the land where stock are kept. In NSW, DPIRD says you get it from Local Land Services.
• Pigs. In NSW, pigs must be identified before they move. A PigPass NVD, the movement paperwork, must go with them to a saleyard, abattoir or another farm. The person receiving them records the move within two working days, and the NVD is kept for three years.
• Cattle and sheep. Integrity Systems Company says new producers should get a PIC, register for an NLIS account and seek LPA accreditation. LPA is the red meat industry's on-farm assurance program. Most red meat processors and retailers need stock from an LPA-accredited property.

Put approvals in the budget

Approvals cost money and time. Budget for consultants, studies and fees. Then add the cost of waiting, because loans don't stop charging interest while you wait. Approvals are one of the first boxes on our go or no-go checklist.