MANDATORY use of radio frequency identification (RFID) in Victoria will leave Australia without a national, traceable system for livestock, according to the Australian Livestock and Property Agents Association (ALPA).
A resolution will be put to the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) livestock conference this week that the federation “support the introduction of mandatory RFID National Livestock Identification Scheme (NLIS) tags for sheep, with an exemption for lambs going direct from the property of birth to slaughter”.
But the resolution – which was not even unanimously supported by members of the east Gippsland VFF branch that put it forward – has sparked a huge response from livestock and markets representative groups, which have rejected mandatory RFID for sheep and goats.
Industry groups believe the Victorian government and its Department of Primary Industries (DPI) is pushing mandatory RFID onto the sheep and goat industries.
Victorian Agriculture Minister Peter Walsh said this was not the case and the government was willing to work with industry members.
He said there was a difference between being pro-RFID and imposing the system as mandatory.
“I will watch with interest the debate at the VFF conference to see what their position is after that debate,” he said.
Mr Walsh said the government was funding RFID in some Victorian saleyards and abattoirs so farmers could understand the potential benefits on their own properties and for industry traceability.
The government was willing to work with industry and would closely watch debate at the VFF.
“The paper system we currently have has failed,” he said.
“The recent Matthews Report (on Australia’s ability to cope with a foot and mouth disease outbreak) clearly set out that we need to improve our traceability in the event of a major biosecurity outbreak, and it would appear electronic identification is the best way to improve that.”
In an open letter to goat, sheep and lamb producers, agents and buyers published in newspapers this week, ALPA warns farmers that mandatory RFID will cost 6 per cent of their gross margin.
ALPA chief executive Andy Madigan said the association was “really worried” the uptake of RFID tags would cost a lot of money and destroy Australia’s international reputation of being able to trace all sheep back to their property of birth.
“If it is going to be called a National Livestock Identification Scheme then it has to be national and not State-based,” he said.
“If the VFF votes yes, then questions need to be asked.”
The association claims a saleyard processing 10,000 sheep a week will face set-up and ongoing costs of $300,000, or 59 cents a head for the first year.
“It is clear that sheep RFID already equates to just shy of $2 a head without taking into account additional costs factors such as uploads and labour,” ALPA president Brendan Wade said.
Gippsland district council member Steven Harrison the resolution was designed to kick-start debate on the use of RFID, rather than – as had been the case with other issues in agriculture - have the technology thrust upon farmers later.
He said it would need to be a national program for it to work and governments could introduce scanners at yards.
“This is only the start of many conversations in relation to RFID tags,” he said.
Incoming VFF livestock president Ian Feldtmann would not speculate on whether the motion would be supported, but said all members and branches had the right to put forward resolutions to the State conference.
“The VFF current policy is to support the visual system now in place - it’s cheaper (for producers) than RFID.
"RFID is an option that people can take up if they wish,” he said.
Australian Livestock Markets Association Tony White said not only was RFID too expensive, the speed of commerce – a saleyard’s physical capacity to scan stock in and out of the yards and deal with any tags that did not read – was not fast enough.
He said even if there was an outbreak of an exotic disease, authorities would be checking the same NLIS database, which was robust, not the sheep themselves, or their tags.
“The paper-based system does work. It’s cheap and effective,” he said.
“It’s a national scheme, not a Victorian scheme. The resolution is quite farcical, the whole thing.
“People who own the sheep and pay the levies should make the decisions.”
Australian Wool Growers Association (AWGA) acting chairman Shane Edwards said the association did not believe RFID was necessary.
“The current system that is already in place where the brand is identified on the tag is more than adequate for identification through the system,” he said.
“The electronic NLIS tag can be removed, destroyed and discarded just as easily as the ones we are currently using. We wouldn’t want to go to that expense.”
AWGA director Martin Oppenheimer said the sheep and wool industry would lose growers – at a time when people were coming back to sheep and trying to rebuild flock numbers - if mandatory RFID was enforced.
“At a time when there are rising costs, a strong Australian dollar and a carbon tax on its way, this will have a further significant impact on the industry,” he said.
“The costs will outweigh the benefits.”
