Critical electronic identification infrastructure was now being rolled out across Victoria, Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford has told State Parliament.
She said Ouyen was the first major saleyard to have fixed hardware fitted to scan electronically tagged sheep and goats.
Both Sale and Leongatha in Gippsland were set to follow.
“Victoria is set for another year of ground-breaking progress as the state becomes the first in Australia to have a robust traceability system for sheep and goats based on electronic identification technology,” Ms Pulford said.
“Each year, approximately five million sheep are sold at our saleyards – five million reasons why accurate traceability data is critical for our livestock industries."
The saleyard equipment and software was funded through the State government’s $17 million sheep and goat transition package. To date, almost 10.7 million sheep and goats have been electronically tagged in Victoria.
Ms Pulford said meat processors had been recording and uploading the data from electronic tags to the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS), enabling fast and accurate traceability in the event of a serious animal disease or food safety issue.
Another series of 21 workshops would explaining the tag roll out was being held throughout the state.
