Sheep & Goat Traceability Survey

Consultation is underway to find the best solution for individual sheep and goat traceability for South Australia.

[Survey Closed] Sheep & Goat Traceability Survey

Work through Livestock SA’s whole-of-industry Sheep and Goat Traceability Steering Committee has moved into its next phase as industry consultation on the mandatory implementation of national individual identification for sheep and goats gets underway.

Livestock SA President Joe Keynes said the Steering Committee had completed two scoping meetings and has now met with the consultant appointed to undertake the business case, ACIL Allen, to ensure the industry consultation process gathers the right information.

“ACIL Allen will engage with sheep and goat producers, agents, accumulators, feedlots, processors, and saleyards to ensure the issues that will be encountered by different groups are identified, considered and factored into any changes to current sheep and goat traceability processes.

“For some in the supply chain, it will be a relatively simple change in tag type or scanning process, while for others such as saleyards we expect there to be more substantial infrastructure costs incurred.

“The Steering Committee and Livestock SA have heard producers’ concerns regarding exemptions for lambs that are vendor bred direct to slaughter, and rangelands goats and we are working through each of these scenarios for our state.

“We have also heard there will be additional costs through the supply chain, so we need to look for the best way to deal with these costs because ultimately the cost of not meeting national traceability standards is a greater risk to the future profitability, market access and emergency animal preparedness for our industry.

“While this work needs to fit into a nationally harmonised system, we are focused on making sure any overarching national traceability recommendations suit our state’s supply chain.

"We need as many interested people as possible to complete this survey,” said Joe.

You can complete the survey via the link (closed) or by visiting the Sheep and Goat Traceability page on the Livestock SA website,” said Joe.

Background

The ability to trace individual sheep and goats through the supply chain is critical to maintaining product integrity, market advantages and emergency disease response capability for the livestock industry. The current visual mob-based system has worked effectively in the past, but improvements are now needed.

To address these concerns, in July 2022 national, state and territory agriculture ministers agreed to work with industry toward mandatory implementation of national individual identification for sheep and goats in each jurisdiction by 1 January 2025.

Livestock SA is leading a project into mandatory sheep and goat traceability, which is funded by the Sheep Industry Fund and the Department of Primary Industries and Regions SA.

Survey closes 14th November 2022.