Sheep and goat eID plan is a sinking ship

NSW Farmers is the latest industry peak body to vow it will walk away from the scheme if there is no national unity on compliance.

WoolProducers Australia issued the same warning on January 31 as the roll-out did not meet two out of the three caveats for its involvement, including establishing a united national traceability system where an equitable funding arrangement was created.

It is clear this has not been the case as each government has announced their individual funding packages with the January 1, 2025, deadline for the roll-out looming.

While Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland have tag rebates already in place, NSW has yet to come to the table on the issue.

Last week, the Queensland government announced its funding package for the roll-out of eID with $6.34 million that will provide a 50 per cent sliding scale rebate to producers, saleyards and meat processors to help with the cost of readers and eID devices. It also includes a 50pc rebate up to $1600 per property identification code (PIC) for producers.

Just before the new year, the South Australian government struck a deal with National Livestock Identification Scheme-accredited (NLIS) tag manufacturers that began on January 1, 2024, where rural retailers and tag manufacturers would offer a 95 cent discount for eID tags across the state.

NSW Farmers' president Xavier Martin said jurisdictional harmonisation of eID traceability was increasingly at risk as state and territories moved in a different direction, undermining the fundamental biosecurity goals of the system.

"This is a critical issue for sheep and goat producers, one we have spent a considerable amount of time working on, and now we may have no choice but to walk away," Mr Martin said.

Mr Martin said the association's "in-principle support" for the scheme had always been contingent on several principles, including the system having jurisdictional harmonisation, which must be delivered consistently across all states and territories.

"This is supposed to be about improving Australia's biosecurity systems, but unless there is jurisdictional harmonisation and consistent compliance we cannot support the adoption of the NLIS Standards for Sheep and Goats," Mr Martin said.

"The clue is in the title - this is supposed to be a national scheme - but there is a real risk with each state and territory moving in its own direction.

"Our members face the prospect of being left with a system that is not fit for purpose, and the notion that this piecemeal approach will deliver some national benefit is laughable.

"We have worked consistent with our principles in good faith, but if the states and territories can't agree then how can they ever expect farmers to support this system?"

In response to the heightened risk of foot and mouth disease and the NSW government's decision to support a national eID system, NSW Farmers provides in principle support for the development of a NLIS for sheep.

This national system must:

a) Have jurisdictional harmonisation

b) Reduce tag costs to an economically affordable level (ie. national tag tender)

c) Financially assist farmers and the supply chain to invest in technology

d) Be underpinned by an equitable funding arrangement across the supply chain

e) Ensure NLIS database has proven capability

f) Retain the option of tag free pathways

g) A staged roll out over a five-year period

h) Be developed in consultation with producers; and

i) NLIS is the only system that is available for stock movements