To be eligible for financial premiums, cattle consigned under the NE program must be:
- 100% grassfed: Not fed grain or grain by-products.
- Lifetime traceable: Cattle must be individually traceable for their whole lives. Traceability can be recorded using NLIS tags and further strengthened by farm management tags and on-farm record keeping.
- Lifetime antibiotic-free: Eligible cattle must not have received therapeutic antibiotics, ionophores (e.g. Rumensin, Bovatech) or coccidiostats (e.g. Baycox), including in lick blocks or feed. Probiotics and drenches can be used as per farm protocols. For welfare reasons, if an animal is sick and requires antibiotics it must not be denied treatment. Treated animals must be clearly identified with ‘treated’ tags and recorded. These animals will not be discounted at processing.
- No added hormones: Cattle must be HGP-free and not fed finishing diets that contain steroids.
- GMO-free: Supplementary feed cannot contain genetically modified cotton or canola.
- Free range: Cattle must never be confined for intensive feeding.
- Certified Humane®: Pain relief is mandatory for castration, disbudding, and dehorning.