There’s no doubt that it’s an exciting time to be in the livestock trade. Prices are healthy, producers can now sustain their businesses and we want to protect their interests.
The state government has invested $17 million in sheep and goat electronic identification, which means the livestock sector is providing consumers with a lifetime traceability guarantee.
The package will include $7.7 million next year to subsidise the cost of producers implementing electronic tags, with remaining funds used for infrastructure grants, co-funded equipment grants and an education program across the supply chain.
It is important all producers understand the new system will be completely cost-neutral – the only change to on-farm practice is the change of ear tags from visual to eID.
Opportunities for other practices relating to on farm management and production are at the discretion of the producer.
The Victorian Farmers Federation has made it clear to the government that it needs to ensure there is zero financial impact on-farm during implementation, and that any safeguards needed to guarantee supply chain costs don’t burden livestock producers as the system matures.
The government will announce the cost of tags for 2018-19 in the first half of next year following the tender process.
Added to this is a $150 million industry investment to install dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) technology in abattoirs across the country for objective carcass measurement.
This is an exciting development that will help us achieve a more mature supply chain. It will provide a more efficient, cost-effective solution to address the independence issue around carcass grading.
Objective carcass measurement will help increase trust between processors and producers and achieve production benefits with precise carcass feedback. The point is to improve returns to the farm gate, provide feedback leading to genetic gains in farm management decisions and improve relationships across the supply chain.
Both of these changes will take force from 2017 and it is clear our entire industry is rapidly changing.
This is a good thing. Change provides the opening to grow and protect our industry for future generations and meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.
Leonard Vallance, Victorian Farmers Federation livestock president