By Jane Howlett, Minister for Primary Industries and Water
Preventative action on the biosecurity front is our biggest defence in the protection of Tasmania’s outstanding agricultural reputation globally. Like our farmers, our government knows and understands the value of keeping our island state free of pests and diseases.
The State’s beef producers have been participants in the National Livestock Traceability Scheme since 2006. Under the scheme, individual animals are electronically tracked from birth to slaughter so we can quickly respond in the event of an emergency animal disease or food safety outbreak.
On 1 January 2025 the new rules regarding electronic identification tags (eIDs) came into effect for sheep and goats in Tasmania. Any sheep or goats born from 1 January 2025 will need to be tagged with an eID before leaving their property of birth, and from 1 January 2027, all sheep and goats must have an eID tag before leaving any property.
The eIDs contain a microchip with a unique identification number that is registered on the NLIS, so that anytime an individual animal leaves a property, regardless of their age or destination, they can be tracked. The new rules regarding eIDs are not just for primary producers of sheep and goats, they are for anyone who owns them.
The rules are part of a national system to improve tracing of sheep and goats. As well as allowing for quick response and recovery from emergency animal disease outbreaks, electronic tagging also improves consumer confidence in sheep and goat products, strengthens market access and has benefits for herd monitoring and management.
We want to make sure that we can provide consumer confidence in our sheep and goat products. Tasmanian producers and the peak bodies representing them have worked hard to raise the profile of our high-quality produce among consumers. We punch well above our weight and Tasmania is internationally renowned for the premium product that is high in standard and free from pests and disease.
Our government committed almost $13 million for biosecurity in the last budget to uphold that high standard, protect our borders and manage the risks. During the past year, our government has provided support to producers, suppliers and livestock facilities to assist them in getting ready for the new rules.
This has included a range of equipment rebates that have not only reached sheep and goat farmers, but also agricultural show societies, organisations that run livestock events, not-for-profit groups, local government and mobile veterinarians. More than 1.2 million eID tags have also been purchased for sheep and goats since 1 June 2024.
Our livestock industry is a huge part of our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future and our plan to grow farmgate value to $10 billion by 2050. Traceability through eIDs will protect our agriculture industry and is a valuable on-farm and off-farm tool. Producers can still apply for reimbursement on eligible scanning items until 30 June this year, or until funds are exhausted.
Tasmania’s involvement in this harmonised traceability scheme is another important step in ensuring product integrity and market access.