WA Agriculture and Food Minister Jackie Jarvis.

WESTERN Australia’s government has committed a further $22.2 million to assist the industry transition to a mandatory sheep and goat electronic identification system by 1 January 2025.

The funding will reinforce national traceability, seen as the key to a rapid and efficient biosecurity or food safety response, the McGowan Government said in a statement today.

The $22.2m package will provide additional funding for the state’s tag incentive payment – a 75 cent tag discount — to assist sheep and goat producers to make the move to the new system of lifetime recording of each individual animal’s movements.

The McGowan Government said the investment builds on the $3.4 million previously provided earlier this year to launch the tag incentive payment discount scheme. Already more than 400,000 blue ear tags have been distributed to WA producers. The State Government’s total investment to support the adoption of sheep and goat EID in WA now totals $25.6 million.

The new funding will also support upgrades to supply chain infrastructure and EID scanning equipment so the system is fully tested and ready to commence operation.

The $22.2m package is part of a $32.6m commitment in the McGowan Government’s 2023-24 State Budget aimed at protecting WA’s livestock industries from increasing biosecurity threats.

The McGowan Government said the boost in biosecurity funding addresses the ever-increasing threat of serious livestock diseases from nearby countries, like Foot and Mouth Disease and Lumpy Skin Disease, that could decimate WA’s valuable livestock industries and food security.

The 2023-24 State Budget will also include $10.4 million to enhance WA’s ability to respond to an animal disease outbreak by increasing field personnel and improving veterinary pathology, epidemiology and diagnostic testing capability and capacity, alongside delivering emergency training and exercises.

The funding will create up to 14 new full time equivalent biosecurity jobs at the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, strengthening the State’s livestock biosecurity and emergency response teams.

WA’s Agriculture and Food Minister Jackie Jarvis said it is important for Western Australia to be well equipped with the resources, expertise and capacity to detect and respond to the threat of an emergency animal disease.

“An emergency animal disease outbreak would result in the loss of international markets and animal production – impacting the whole supply chain, from producers through to regional communities.

“This $32.6 million of new funding builds on the McGowan Government’s previous budget commitments to biosecurity,” she said.

“It is important we keep continuing to build capacity and capability to protect and sustain our primary industries.”