Lambs with electronic ear tags.

SOUTH Australia and New South Wales have released details of their consultation programs with stakeholders over implementation of mandatory sheep and goat electronic identification systems in their states.

The NSW Department of Primary Industries today released dates for a series of consultation webinars aimed at allowing stakeholders to share their views on the future of sheep and goat livestock traceability in the state with the NSW Industry Reference Group.

A draft timeline for a NSW sheep and goats EID system was released this week, but the department said the webinars, that start tomorrow, are part of a series of targeted online consultation sessions with key industry sectors that will help inform the initial development of an implementation plan for sheep and goat individual electronic identification within New South Wales.

The webinars include on 2 November a session for goat producers, goat depots and feedlots at 2pm, and at 8pm a webinar for sheep producers and feedlots.

The 3 November webinars include one for abattoirs and knackeries at 10am, and for saleyards at 4pm. On 4 November, a webinar will be run for stock and station agents at 10am.

Rural transporters can attend a webinar on 7 November at 3pm and a manufacturers’ webinar will be held on 8 November at 10am.

Click here to register for one or all of the webinars.

NSW stakeholders who are unable to attend or would like to provide your thoughts in writing, please email the DPI team on [email protected]

Livestock SA moves to next stage in consultation

Livestock SA said its whole-of-industry Sheep and Goat Traceability Steering Committee has moved into its next phase as industry consultation on the mandatory implementation of national individual identification for sheep and goats gets underway.

Livestock SA president Joe Keynes said the steering committee had completed two scoping meetings and has met with the consultant appointed to undertake the business case, ACIL Allen, to ensure the industry consultation process gathers the right information.

“ACIL Allen will engage with sheep and goat producers, agents, accumulators, feedlots, processors, and saleyards to ensure the issues that will be encountered by different groups are identified, considered and factored into any changes to current sheep and goat traceability processes.

“For some in the supply chain it will be a relatively simple change in tag type or scanning process, while for others such as saleyards we expect there to be more substantial infrastructure costs incurred,” he said.

“The steering committee and Livestock SA have heard producers’ concerns regarding exemptions for lambs that are vendor bred direct to slaughter, and rangelands goats and we are working through each of these scenarios for our state.

“We have also heard there will be additional costs through the supply chain, so we need to look for the best way to deal with these costs because ultimately the cost of not meeting national traceability standards is a greater risk to the future profitability, market access and emergency animal preparedness for our industry,” Mr Keynes said.

“While this work needs to fit into a nationally harmonised system, we are focused on making sure any overarching national traceability recommendations suit our state’s supply chain.

“We need as many people as possible from the supply chain that will be impacted to complete this survey.”

South Australian producers can complete the survey via the link or by visiting the Sheep and Goat Traceability page on the Livestock SA website.