Australia-Sheep Tags now law 1 January 2009.

AUSTRALIA.

NEW SHEEP TAGS NOW LAW.

Farmers in Australia are required from New Years day, to tag all sheep and goats from the day of birth, this comes at a good time of year as lambing is mainly in July, August and September, giving farmers plenty of time to prepare themselves.

The new system includes lambs that go strait to the abattoir, that have always bee exempt in the past.

The manager of Animal Standards Australia, Doctor Tony Britt, says that the system will allow easy tracing of animals in the case of food contamination scares.

He went on to say, " If the sheep that farmers have in their possession have left the property, they use the pink post breeder tags, regardless of their tag type should have their identity code printed on it, and they attach the ear tag to each of their sheep prior to dispatch".

Processors face prosecution if the accept sheep into the meat plants, that are not tagged correctly.