Sheep and Goat Electronic Identification

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (15:21): My question is to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development. Will the minister update the chamber on the latest rebate available to livestock agents for South Australia's eID rollout?

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (15:21): I thank the honourable member for his question, and am pleased to verbalise an answer. I have spoken in this chamber before about the national introduction of electronic identification of sheep and farmed goats.

As many would know, the first mandate in South Australia's eID rollout begins on 1 January next year, when it will become mandatory for producers to tag sheep and farmed goats born after that date with an NLIS-accredited eID tag before they can leave their property of birth. From 1 January 2027 all other sheep and farmed goats will need to be tagged with an NLIS-accredited eID tag before leaving a property.

It is also important to be aware of the relevant dates for eID scanning and recording of movements. On 1 January 2025 it will be mandatory for processors and also producers, who conduct property to property movements, to be ready to scan sheep and farmed goats identified with eID tags and to record individual movements on the NLIS. Saleyards have until 1 July 2025 to be scanner-ready.

Australia's systems for traceability of cattle, sheep and goats are world leading, and are underpinned by the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS). It is important to ensure our traceability systems continue to meet industry and stakeholder expectations to protect the state's livestock industry and ensure market access into the future.

The global market is increasingly demanding traceability of meat products, so this change is vital to maintain market access and competitiveness for South Australian producers. Moreover, the prevalence of biosecurity issues nationally and internationally only highlights how important traceability is to have the ability to react quickly to disease outbreak and protect our $2.96 billion livestock industry.

The move from the current mob-based, visual tag system for identification of sheep and farmed goats will greatly improve accuracy and the speed in which individual animals can be traced. The eID system will allow individual animals to be traced back to their property of birth and the last property in which they resided. This will greatly reduce the time required to respond to an outbreak of an emergency animal disease, which will in turn reduce the time it takes for the industry to recover from such an outbreak.

To ensure the sheep and farmed goat industry can transition effectively through this significant reform, today I announced another rebate to assist livestock agents to purchase essential equipment required for scanning, recording and reporting the movement of sheep and farmed goats on the NLIS.

This program will assist livestock agents with the cost to purchase wand readers or pocket readers, with a 75 per cent rebate on the total cost up to a total value of $7,000. The rebate will apply to purchasers since 8 June 2023. Eligible agents must be based in South Australia, with an active livestock agent property identification code, and can apply for the rebate until 5pm Monday 30 June 2025.

This essential equipment rebate for livestock agents is one initiative of many that this state government has put in place to assist producers, saleyards, agents, processors and other stakeholders in the sheep and farmed goat industry, with the up-front costs of essential equipment and infrastructure required to be fully ready for the implementation of the eID system, which is designed to protect the important livestock industry.