Australia-Electronic ear tags for sheep.

SHEEP MEAT COUNCIL.

The Sheep-meat Council of Australia is concerned at the clarification on the exact requirements on the new sheep ear tags.

The president of the council Kate Joseph, said that there is confusion surrounding the European Union audit and the resulting publicity.

The Australian Meat Industry Council and the Australian Quarantine Service have now found a solution to address the problems and concerns, in relation to traceability and identification.

From January 1, all sheep and goats born are fitted with an electronic tag, that identifies the place of birth and records all information.

Ms Joseph says that the procedure was not as a direct result of any EU directive, rather it was instigated by Australia to assist in the traceabilty of Australian lamb.

This is far different from the media reports, that indicate that this was a measure forced on Australian farmers by the EU