EID tag national rollout state-by-state breakdown

In the 2022-23 federal budget, $46.7 million was announced to support support national livestock traceability enhancements, including $20 million for co-investment with state and territory governments to support the transition to eID and enhance on-farm and off-farm traceability.

The electronic tags cost between $1.60 to $2.

While all states have committed to having newborn lambs and kids eID tagged by the January 1, 2025, the details of how each one will implement the changes vary.

Victoria moved ahead of the rest of the states in 2016 and by January 1 this year, it was compulsory to have all managed sheep and goats tagged before they can leave a property.

The Western Australian producers who adopt the tags before June 30 can access a 75 cents per tag discount through a pilot tag incentive scheme, which has sold more than 210,000 blue tags since starting on March 28.

Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia chief veterinary officer Michelle Rodan said the government is working towards the January 1 2025 timeline.

"DPIRD is collaborating with saleyards, processors and export depots to help integrate the new eID technology into their operations," Dr Rodan said.

"The plan is to have sufficient eID equipment installed throughout the post-farmgate supply chain by mid-2024 to test the complete system.

"The new national eID system will improve traceability accuracy and speed in the event of an emergency animal disease, supporting a more efficient and effective biosecurity response."

New South Wales and Queensland have both agreed to the deadline but have pushed back the date for having all managed farmed sheep and goats eID tagged before leaving a property to January 1, 2027.

A Biosecurity Queensland spokesman said the Queensland government remains committed to the January 1, 2025 timeline but the 2027 date recognises the current visual tag system will require a transition phase.

"The government is working collaboratively with industry and other jurisdictions on a range of issues to ensure target dates align and we are prepared," he said.

"The Queensland Traceability Advisory Group is actively considering the government's implementation approach including the policy and legislation framework, funding arrangements and communication and engagement strategy to support eID introduction."

A series of producer information days are being planned for May for Queensland's major sheep-producing areas, with dates soon to be announced on the DAF Engagement Hub.

Agforce Queensland sheep and wool board president Stephen Tully said in Queensland, the average farm would need 5000 tags a year, costing $10,000.

"If we look at the implementation in Victoria the government funded it and they had a five year phase in," he said.

"That's why there are people pushing back against the national approach, because it was brought in under panic and wasn't well thought through.

"The best way to make a national approach is to put some funding behind it."

Mr Tully said Agforce were pushing for Queensland to have a similar incentive scheme to Western Australia to help producers shoulder the cost of the change

"I think that's a great initiative because it puts tags in the ears a year earlier and that will stop this massive peak in the need for tags closer to January 1, 2025... that's when the system's going to collapse," he said.

"We won't be able to get tags, the manufacturers can't ramp up production that quickly and they know it's going to ramp down in a year or two so it's not going to be great.

"Rolling out those tags is going to be great and WA is leading the pack on that."

NSW's industry eID implementation plan includes provisions that all meat processors must start eID scanning by June 30, 2024 while all saleyards, depots and property to property transfers of stock will require eID scanning from January 1, 2025.

A NSW DPI spokeswoman said the two dates relevant to producers (January 1, 2025 and January 1, 2027) were set following industry feedback and take into account challenges posed by cultural and skillset changes, any eID manufacturing delays and time to incorporate critical infrastructure into businesses.

"NSW requires processors to implement eID first given relevant infrastructure upgrades are less challenging and costly compared to others in the supply chain," she said.

The spokeswoman said in discussions with tag manufacturers, several have indicated that eID tags currently represent around 20 per cent of their tag sales.

"This indicates a large number of producers have already incorporated eID technology within their businesses to source individual animal data on production, fertility and carcass traits, along with data on disease status, animal health treatment or processor carcass feedback," she said.

"Such data allows producers to make more informed decisions regarding genetic selection and management practices, on top of the industry wide benefits from eID in terms of improved identification, traceability and market access.

"Widespread use of eID enables more accurate and timely traceability, a vital element during an animal disease emergency where delays tracing livestock movements lead to more time to manage and control an outbreak, and longer periods where Australia is shut out of important overseas markets."

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In South Australia, the government has agreed in principle to the development of the national system and the January 1 2025 target and plans to develop and release an eID policy later in the year.

A spokesman from the South Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regions said a key component to the SA implementation plan is that it must be industry-led.

"The South Australian Government is working with the state's sheep and goat industries to work through questions of cost, funding options and processes," he said.

"It believes these issues need to be resolved before an eID system can be successfully implemented in the state.

"To help facilitate this, the South Australian Government has been working closely with the peak industry association, Livestock SA, which includes the provision of $140,000 in funding to assist in developing a business case report and strategies specifically for South Australia."

That business case report has now been received by the government.

"The business case will inform the second part of the industry-led project, the development of a recommended implementation plan which considers all sectors of the industry as well as ensuring national consistency," the spokesman said.

South Australia is also looking to learn from the Victorian experience, with officers from PIRSA visiting Victoria in early April to see their eID infrastructure in action.

Tasmania is still to release any details of how it plans to implement the change.

A spokeswoman from the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania said the department was considering the recommendations made by in the phase one report put together by The Red Meat Industry Steering Committee through the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association.

"Further consultation with sheep and goat industry-led consultative committees will occur over the coming months prior to finalisation of a position on each recommendation and implementation timelines," she said.

"The Tasmanian government, along with all other states and territories, reiterated its commitment to implement harmonised tagging requirements for all managed farmed sheep and goats using individual electronic identification.

"Our target is for the supply chain to be ready by 1 January 2025 to scan eID tags."

SheepProducers Australia CEO Bonnie Skinner said there were a lot of changes that would have to happen through the supply chain to support the 2025 time frame.

"We're only as strong as the weakest link with our system and we all need to be moving together in the same direction," she said.

An update to the sheep and goat eID national implementation plan released in early April shows the extent of variation between states.

The federal government has released a cost model for the changeover but says it is designed to test how much different implementation approaches might cost across the supply chain and does not provide a single national figure or range of how much the rollout will cost the industry.

A Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry spokesman said the national cost will be informed by the implementation approaches taken by jurisdictions.

"Many of these approaches are still being determined in consultation with producers and industry," he said.

"Traceability is a shared responsibility between all governments and industry, with state and territory governments the primary regulators.

"Discussions are underway to determine state and territory co-investment contributions with the Commonwealth, and it will be up to each state and territory government to determine overall contributions they will make to support implementation of eID for sheep and goats."