Plans to proceed cautiously with the introduction of electronic tagging of sheep and goats have been welcomed by Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) livestock group president, Ian Feldtmann.
Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford said while she believed the introduction of EiD’s was “inevitable”, it was still some way off.
“The tag for a sheep or goat in Victoria is less than half the price it is in other states, but there are lots of players in the supply chain who need to be ready before we make this move,” Ms Pulford said.
“I think it is inevitable - but there are many producers experiencing significant stress associated with drought, so we need to find the time that’s right for everyone.”
Ms Pulford said she thought the economic benefits of electronic tags were “fantastic,” but the government would work closely with the VFF and industry to ensure everyone was ready for their introduction.
Mr Feldtmann said while the VFF strongly supported a visual tagging system, many producers were not able to bear the added cost of electronic tags.
He said the ancillary equipment, associated with tags, could be as high as $25,000.
“Even with the latest tender prices for tags, they are still considerably dearer than visual tags – many producers don’t believe they can get added production benefits from tags.
“If you are going to get the benefits, you have to have the weighing equipment, the computers that read the tags that go with it and added expense of sheep handling equipment.”
He said many members were telling the VFF they didn’t want electronic tags.
“Unless you have got the benefit of large number of sheep, producers can’t see the benefits.”
