Mandatory ID tag plans spook producers

Wool, sheepmeat and goatmeat bodies, as well as livestock agents, fear a mandatory RFID system would force other states to follow their lead, which they argue wouldn't enhance their ability to track animals during disease outbreaks.

Mandatory RFIDs would cause "untold headaches" on-farm and in saleyards, the groups said. They want the current mob-based tracing scheme employed by the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS).

"We are very fearful of the situation at hand," said Australian Livestock and Property Agents Association chief executive Andy Maddigan, Sydney.

"Our national traceability system needs to be just that - national. We can't have one state go off alone.

"We would be in a better position to track sheep and goats if all states implemented the business rules of the NLIS."

Currently, the business rules - which outline the roles and responsibilities of supply chain members, and the identification, documentation and verification requirements of animals in the system - vary from state to state.

A report released in August by the Victorian Auditor-General recommended an individual RFID system be rolled out for sheep and goats.

Shortly after, Victoria's Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford invited other states to tender for batches of RFID tags.

WoolProducers Australia chief executive Jo Hall, Canberra, said if Victoria broke away it would "not improve" the biosecurity of the wool industry.

She said the current mob-based system could achieve national traceability standards of 98 per cent if there was consistent application of NLIS business rules across the country.

"It's not a hard system to use but it's let down because its business rules aren't applied uniformly," Ms Hall said.

She said traceability among Victoria's flocks could be improved if it was mandatory to record property-to-property movements.

"NSW has really good compliance rates and it proves the system can and does work."

Sheep Meat Council of Australia chief executive Jeff Murray described the current system as "simple, cost-effective, and well-accepted by industry".

"While we support the right of individual producers to use RFID, the enormous costs and resources involved in implementing mandatory RFID across the supply chain would far outweigh any benefits for industry," he said.

Dubbo Stock and Station Agents Association president Matt Weber warned it would be costly for saleyards to switch to a new system and any cost would be borne by producers.

"It would cause untold headaches," Mr Weber said.

"On average we yard 30,000 sheep each sale - to scan them in indiv- idually would be nearly impossible.

"We would need to employ more people to set up multiple readers and that would come back to the producer."

Mr Maddigan warned some saleyards might need to be reconfigured all together.

"That could involve us digging up concrete to reshape the way the yards are funnelled," he said.

Cross-border trade would be a logistical nightmare if Ms Pulford's plans went ahead, according to NSW Farmers president Derek Schoen.

"If Victoria goes it alone, not only will that send a poor message to our trading partners, but Victoria will have to manage two different systems at saleyards and abattoirs that take stock from interstate."

NSW Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair said he didn't support the use of individual RFID tags but did not indicate if he would lobby Victoria against it.

"I am yet to see the benefits of introducing an electronic identification program because an electronic tag will not automatically guarantee a more robust biosecurity system."

Not sold on RFID traceability benefits at Geurie

BEN Whillock, "Westholme", Geurie, doesn't support the mandatory radio frequency identification (RFID) tags in sheep and goat flocks.

Mr Whillock, who last week sold a lot of second-cross lambs at Dubbo saleyards for $133, said the costs of implementing an RFID system would be prohibitive.

"You'd have to buy a new gadget to put the tags in their ears, plus the readers, plus a new set of scales. I really don't know if the benefits would outweigh the costs," Mr Whillock said.

He felt the current traceability system was adequate.

Filling in the national vendor declaration forms weren't onerous, he said.

"I fill out this type of paperwork five to six times a year and it's pretty easy to do. In general the whole process is straightforward but more training to bring others up to speed wouldn't hurt."

- JESSIE DAVIES