Agriculture Victoria has confirmed questions about the roll out of mandatory sheep and goat electronic tagging have been around individual stakeholder responsibilities, under the new system.
A spokesman for Agriculture Victoria said meetings had been held with tag manufacturers, stock agents, abbatoirs, saleyards and representative bodies.
Among the saleyards involved were Ballarat, Hamilton and Bendigo.
Further meetings were planned with the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF), Best Lamb Best Wool Coordinators and Horsham saleyards.
“The majority of questions have been in relation to individual stakeholders responsibilities under the new system,” the spokesman said.
“There are many more planned meetings with stakeholders over the consultation period. We are particularly keen for producers to have a look at the draft documents and provide feedback directly.”
Stock & Land spoke to a number of producers at recent sheep sales at Swan Hill and a ram sale at Kerrilyn Merino stud, where most still seem to be questioning the decision by Victoria.
Peter Mason, Mcintyre, said he didn’t think the state should have gone it alone.
“I think it should be a national thing,” Mr Mason said.
“It’s an added expense, even though it will be subsidised in the first year.
“People who want to use them, can use them, and I don’t think people should be forced into going that expense, if they are not going to use them.
“How are they going to scan big numbers of sheep, through saleyards?”
Keiran Flood, Shelbourne, said he didn’t know why the state chose to do it.
”But I have my doubts as how they are going to keep tracing the sheep, which are going into the saleyards and coming out of the saleyards,” Mr Flood said.
“That would be my main concern, but the principal of doing it, I think is a good idea.”
Archdale sheep producer Stuart McClelland said it would be an expensive process for his operation.
“It’s going to be costly for us, they are going to subsidise them this year, but what are they going to be next year; double, triple, quadruple?” he said.
“Are they going to scan them onto the truck again, are they going to scan them at the abattoir, are they going to update the saleyards, at our expense?
“I just don’t think it’s going to work.”
*Read more on eIDs in What’s In Store on page 62
