Australia-Ear tag debate.

AUSTRALIA-EAR TAG DEBATE.

INCREASING concerns over the possible introduction of a mandatory electronic identification for sheep - or even two parallel systems - have some interstate sheep industry players worried.

While so far there is no proposed legislation, Saleyards Operators of Australia executive officer Tony White said he feared Victorian Department of Primary Industries electronic tag research would spark legislation making the tags mandatory under that state’s rules for the sheep and goat national livestock identification system.

He said producers he had spoken to had been worried about the cost of the tags, which at about $3 a tag (Allflex’s recomended retail price was $2.46) was roughly 6 per cent of the value of a sheep.

He said while they acknowledged the European Union (which found holes in Australia’s sheep industry traceability in a 2008 audit) was an important market, the extra cost would outweigh the gains.

"If a yard like Wagga could have 75,000 sheep a day it would be unworkable and impractical," Mr White said.

"Mob-based is the way to go as it can be done effectively," he said.

The mob-based transaction tag system will become compulsory in saleyards nationally from July 1, with processors set to get on board from January 1, 2010.