Queensland Country Life

The dream that became a reality...

The dream that became a reality...
The dream that became a reality...

Advertiser content for Shearwell Australia.

When it comes to buying electronic and visual sheep or cattle tags, there are three things you want to ensure: that the tags have the highest retention rates in Australian conditions; are reasonably priced and that you’ll receive them in a timely fashion.

That’s why more and more farmers are making the switch to Shearwell Australia. Not only do they have one of the fastest order turn around rates in the country, but their product was developed by farmers for farmers. 

Despite the fact they are now a multi-national company, Shearwell is still a family owned business with a small business ethos: look after your customers and they’ll look after you. 

While the company has been proudly servicing the Australian market since 2011 – with their current base of operations in Bendigo, just a stone’s throw from the livestock exchange – Shearwell has a long and proud history of livestock identification. 

The dream that became a reality...
The dream that became a reality...

A few years before Shearwell Data was founded in 1992, the founder Richard Webber was shearing in Norway, New Zealand and the UK. He was impressed by a certain aluminium sheep tag while he was abattoir shearing in Norway, so much so that he found out where the tag came from and, when he returned home to England, he brought the machine that made them and began producing his own PAT aluminium sheep tags. This was the birth of Shearwell Data.

Richard’s dream was simple: to develop the best possible way to collect, store and utilise data on your animals and help the customer and all sectors of the industry improve their bottom line. Like all innovators he knew that in order to be the best, you need the best information possible. 

In fact, as early as 1992 Shearwell began participating in electronic ID trials around the UK. These trials involved not only different devices, but also different species. The key to capturing individual data electronically was to have reliable EID device. In 2004 Shearwell developed its own EID sheep ear tag – the SET tag which is now being sold all around the world.

The dream that became a reality...
The dream that became a reality...

In subsequent years, the company continued to participate in trials around the world. As a result, they’ve expanded their knowledge of what works best by listening to farmers and industry. 

They invested in a thermal printing machine to print plastic cattle, sheep and pig tags and then in 1998 purchased the first of many laser machines for permanent marking. Shearwell then began to develop EID readers, handling systems and software based around electronic identification.

Today, they are leaders in the fields of Data Capture and Data Transfer in the livestock industry. Hands-on experience in day-to-day, on-farm operation of their systems not only ensures that their products are fully tried and tested but also that they undergo continuous development.

Based on a 1000 acre working farm, the company prides itself in its knowledge of the industry, its fast efficient service and its competitive prices.

The dream that became a reality...
The dream that became a reality...

“We never settle for second-best,” a spokesperson for Shearwell said.

“We test and use all our systems ourselves, here on our own farm, with the aim of improving livestock handling and profitability,” they continued. 

“For us, with our contractor background, it has been important to get the products right and carry out tasks efficiently. Retention of the tag is extremely important to us and SET tag trials in Canada showed a 99 per cent retention over three years with 50,000 tags.

“We hope that the solid reputation we have for customer service and a quality range of products will continue to grow in Australia as it has in other countries.”

For more information about Shearwell’s full product line and how electronic data can save you time and money, click here.

Advertiser content for Shearwell Australia.