THE tracking of wool from farm to manufacturer using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a step closer with large scale trials being planned for later this year.
Following three years of research, an ultra-high frequency bale tag that can be read from more than two metres, can withstand dumping, be read as a tri-pak and costs less than USD$1 per tag has been identified.
The innovation is part of Australian Wool Exchange’s (AWEX) e-Bale Project which is in its final stages.
AWEX is planning trials of the technology - on the growing and receiving end of the supply chain.
A trial which will trace thousands of bales from farm to market to port is being proposed to begin in 2017, where AWEX will evaluate the cost and benefits of e-Bale.
While the region this trial will be based has not been confirmed, the trial will include woolgrowers, service providers, warehouses, transport operators, software suppliers and customers.
e-Bale will also be introduced to manufacturers in China during a demonstration trial which will coincide with the Nanjing Wool Market Conference in September.
AWEX technical manager Kerry Hansford said e-Bale would improve the information flow from farm to warehouse to processing mill.
Dr Hansford said the technology would enable the identification of wool bales in the event of lost bales or an exotic animal disease outbreak, and increase efficiencies in supply chain traceability and logistics management.
Trials on farms in Victoria and NSW, of various sizes, production systems and environments, have been undertaken, as well as trials with large and medium sized warehouses and vertically linked exporters and processors in Europe.
“Trialling has been continual over the last two years and the next stage will be to continue this on a larger scale in the future,” Dr Hansford said.
The estimated cost of the technology is less than USD$1 per bale tag.
The wool industry has been investigating machine readable systems for two decades; however, they were unsuccessful because RFID tags could not endure dumping, be read in a tri-pak and the costs were prohibitive.
Research to develop e-Bale began in 2013, on the back of technological improvements and reduced costs.