The start-up, and ongoing, cost of electronic tags was the greatest concern raised by Victorian and New South Wales producers, although some have welcomed their introduction.
Coliban Park’s Duncan Barber, Elphinstone, said he believed producers sending sheep and lambs direct to the meatworks should not have to use the tags, “as they are a waste of time.”
“It’s not just the cost of putting them in, it’s the replacement cost, as well,” Mr Barber said.
Coliban Park sent most of its sheep direct to Hardwicks, Kyneton, and Mr Barber said he would probably have to tag about 8500 sheep.
“We have to replace 10-15 per cent of all tags - they fall out, get knocked out by the shearers, get hooked on a fence or get torn out,” he said. The tags could end up costing more than the value of the sheep.
“I’m 44 and that’s happened five times in my lifetime, the people who say that can’t happen have their heads jammed in the sand. There’s only a small few pushing it for a large few, unfortunately, it’s the small few that have the votes.”
He said Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford introduced the scheme, because she realised the government needed to be seen to be doing something for the bush.
At Drummartin, McKay Farm’s Robert McKay said he saw it as an expensive exercise, which wouldn’t last. He said he expected to have to tag about 1500 lambs, next year.
“I don’t think they have the technology to cope with it, at this stage,” Mr McKay said.
“I think it will be a short term thing, they will work out it’s not worthwhile, and abandon it.”
He raised animal welfare issues, with stock being held in yards, waiting for scanning. “It’s us poor cockies at the end of the line, who will have to bear the cost of it.
But Pigeon Ponds producer Tim Leeming said while there was not a lot of commercial value, on farm from eIDs, they were required to improve traceability.
“Any step forward, in improving food safety and traceability, is a good measure, from the industry point of view,” Mr Leeming, Coojar, said.
He said 7000 of the property’s ewes were electronically tagged.
“The beef industry is a lot better aligned for a biosecurity outbreak, than the sheep industry is.”
He said money would be best spent in education and awareness at sale yards and processing facilities.
“If you look at Australia as one big farm, we need to improve the farm and one of the important things about that is market access,” Mr Leeming said. “If we lose access, because of some biological traceability issue, that could be disastrous.”
And New South Wales farmer, Geoff Allen, Mathoura, said he put electronic tags in his ewe lambs, which were sold through Bendigo.
“You go to an abattoir and have a look at the stock being killed, unless it is a mob lot, how do you know whose sheep that is,” Mr Allen said.
“The only thing that’s holding people back is the cost, we tag our sheep every year, and have to pay $1.30 or $1.40, there is no subsidy.
“But I just think if more and more people got into them, with the supply and demand situation, they will become cheaper.” He said he could not see any real arguments against tagging.
“The issue is with the agents, they are the ones who don’t want to do it, because it’s more work.”
And Mathoura’s Doug Scott, said he wouldn’t be tagging his sheep, until he received a subsidy. “I would go with it, but we get no subsidy out of New South Wales – that’s the old story, it’s not uniform,” Mr Scott said. “I am not totally against it, but I don’t see the need for it, either.”
Livestock South Australia president Geoff Power said it was highly unlikely the state government there would subsidise the tags, as the Victorian government had done.
“We are not against eID tags, we see the benefit on farm, but we don’t believe the Victorian government should have gone out, on its own.”
He said the cost of rolling out tags in South Australia would be prohibitive.“The tags are being subsidised to 35 cents in Victoria, to buy them in SA, they are about $2. I’d be very doubtful they (the government) would contemplate subsidising tags, so it will all go back on the industry, and to the farm gate.”