Interstate sheep producers showing at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show (ASWS), may be wondering if electronic identification (EID) National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) (sheep) tags are mandatory when showing their stock in Victoria.
The simple answer is no, according to Agriculture Victoria’s manager of livestock traceability, Ben Fahy, who was heavily involved in the design and the implementation of the new Victorian sheep EID system.
“Electronic NLIS (sheep) tags are not mandatory for interstate exhibitors when they show at any Victorian show nor will they be in the foreseeable future,” Mr Fahy said.
EID NLIS (sheep) tags were mandated in Victoria from January 1, 2017, with all sheep and goats born in Victoria from January 1, 2017 to be identified with the EID NLIS (sheep) tags.
Victorian Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford announced the decision in 2016, saying the visual mob based system was not strong enough to bear a biosecurity threat like an outbreak of foot and mouth disease or food safety incident.
Mr Fahy, who also manages the Victorian cattle tagging system, said exhibitors from interstate won’t see any changes when entering their sheep or goats into Victorian shows.
“Interstate exhibitors will continue to meet their individual state requirements for tagging and identification of sheep and goats,” he said.
Interstate exhibitors will continue to meet their individual state requirements for tagging
- Ben Fahy, Agriculture Victoria’s manager of livestock traceability
“When they enter into Victoria, if they then go back to their property interstate, they continue to be identified with their visual tag.
“It is only if they (livestock) were to be sold or moved on to a Victorian property that a subsequent move off that Victorian property is when the electronic tag needs to be applied.
“And this only applies to sheep or goats moving in 2019.”
Mr Fahy stressed producers moving stock to Victoria, at this stage and beyond, don’t require any electronic tag by the vendor or owner from interstate.
“The responsibility will always rest with the Victorian producer that receives it,” Mr Fahy said.
From 2019, it is only when stock enter a Victorian producer’s property or finisher’s property and then moves off that property that interstate sheep will be required to be tagged.
“Any movement into a show, any movement into a saleyard, or any movement into an abattoir – there is no extra cost, in relation to identification tags, on the interstate exhibitor,” Mr Fahy said.
“It is only those animals that are born in 2019, moved into Victoria in 2019 and then move off that Victorian property after that, if they aren’t already tagged, they need an electronic NLIS (sheep) post breeder tag.”
Mr Fahy said it became a requirement, like any tagging or identification for sheep and goats, when they were dispatched from that property they had previously moved onto in Victoria, that they needed an electronic tag.
“A good example is if a stud animal had been purchased as a breeding animal, it may not be that the producer has to tag that animal for three to four years, depending on how long they keep their stud animal for,” he said.
“The responsibility rests with that person who subsequently purchased the animal.”
ASWS CEO Margot Falconer said all Victorian exhibitors showing sheep at the ASWS born after January 2017 must have an EID NLIS tag.
“There won’t be an impact on the show because as a Victorian sheep farmer you have to have it done anyway,” she said.
Ms Falconer said for the event, she has had to purchase EID tags and an applicator, in case a lamb is born at the show.
“We have to have that on hand in case of a birth so we can tag it. Technically it shouldn’t happen, but we have still had to prepare for that scenario.”
Victoria began mandatory scanning of sheep and goats on December 31, 2017 and in abattoirs from March 31, 2018, movement recording became mandatory for electronically tagged sheep and goats sold in Victorian saleyards or transferred between properties.
Victorian shows receiving sheep identified with EID NLIS tags are required to complete a ‘sighted’ transfer on the NLIS database, from March 31, 2018, showing that they had been resident on the show’s property.
Mr Fahy said the Victoria EID NLIS (sheep) rollout has been relatively smooth and they have ensured the new identification system is working in both abattoirs and saleyards.
He said all abattoirs were scanning and uploading sheep identified with new EID NLIS (sheep) tags and all saleyards that had had a sale since the implementation on March 31, were scanning and uploading the information to the NLIS database.
“We thought the saleyard sector was going to be difficult, just the complexity of it, with large numbers of animals coming in, large numbers going out as well as multi-vendors,” Mr Fahy said.
“But it appears it is travelling along well. Agents and saleyard managers are surprised that it certainly isn’t causing as much difficulty as they originally thought.”
He said in some cases it has actually made the job simpler for them.
“It is simpler for them when they look at cataloguing, but also reconciliation and sorting out their buyers and who bought what at the end of the sale,” Mr Fahy said.
“We are still in the settling in stage, and we are still seeing agents coming up with good solutions as to how to utilise them, but overall it has been a far simpler rollout than we expected.”
In addition, Agriculture Victoria staff continue to monitor and audit saleyards in relation to the mob-based, visual NLIS (sheep and goat) requirements.