![Call for sheep eID tagging cost to be shared Call for sheep eID tagging cost to be shared](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/88uitQDCBZnXA8enwGJ5Zd/b850081c-82d0-423c-ae95-1d844b2d6b53.jpg/r0_205_3928_2414_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
An incentive of 50 per cent of the cost of electronic identification tags should be offered by the state government, according to AgForce's Sheep, Wool and Goat board president Stephen Tully.
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The board discussed the planned shift to compulsory tagging of sheep and goats with electronic identification tags at last week's meeting, after which Mr Tully said it was understood that Queensland would be "roughly" following the schedule set by NSW.
Under that jurisdiction, all sheep and farmed goats born on or after January 1, 2025, will require an eID tag, and all sheep and farmed goats leaving a property will require an electronic identification tag from January 1, 2027.
Mr Tully said that considering many parts of the industry would benefit from the traceability that compulsory tags would bring, including governments managing disease incursions, and processors, they would like to see the cost of the tags shared around.
"At the moment, producers are paying 90pc of the cost - we think it should be 50pc," Mr Tully said.
"Tags are $1.90 each and if you're tagging 4000 sheep or goats a year, that's $7600 that's being taken out of the local economy.
"We'd like to see a 50pc government tagging incentive, starting with this year's lambs."
Mr Tully added that the Western Australian government offered a 75c tag incentive.
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Referring to the proximity of foot and mouth disease to Australia, Agriculture Minister Mark Furner acknowledged that a modern biosecurity system was more important than ever.
He said this would be critical to ensuring the industry could be protected.
"The costs for implementation of the system are considered proportional to the proven benefits for both industry and government," he said.
"The sheep, goat and cattle industries are too valuable to Queensland to have them be let down by an animal traceability system that doesn't deliver efficient and accurate tracing in a timely manner."
Mr Tully said that when industry signed up to compulsory tagging, it was on the understanding that there would be a fair and equitable cost structure.
"That hasn't happened," he said.
"There was supposed to be a cost-benefit analysis done - that's been done but we haven't sighted it.
"We've been told it's highly confidential."
Mr Tully said a few back-of-the-envelope calculations would bring people to a conclusion that for the number of lambs and goats born in Australia, the cost for tags would be around $200 million over three years.
"Producers paying 90pc of that cost is too high, when meatworks and governments have a bit to gain from the system."
Double tagging
Mr Tully said the meeting had agreed with his concerns around double tagging adult sheep bound for the abattoir when they already had traceability aids such as PIC numbers, NVDs and ENVDs.
"The idea of all sheep theoretically being tagged 48 hours before they get their heads cut off - there are 30 million sheep born a year, so there could be 15 or 20 million tags going to landfill a year, and for what.
"If it doesn't affect traceability, they shouldn't have to tag."
He said a similar principle was guiding traceability plans in South Australia's western division.
Mr Furner once again referred to the threat of animal diseases on Australia's doorstep in responding to questions about this part of the plan.
"Governments and industry are working towards a January 2025 implementation of tagging requirements for all managed farmed sheep and goats using individual eID tags," he said.
"We will continue to work with industry to ensure Queensland has a prosperous and profitable livestock industry."
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