PHOTO: Most goats and sheep will be legally required to have electronic ID tags after next January.
The reality of mandatory electronic identification (eID) tags comes into being in January of next year.
New South Wales, and other states, are currently transitioning to mandatory individual electronic identification for sheep and goats.
Using eID will reduce the time required to manage an emergency animal disease or food safety incident. This allows authorities to respond to and recover from an outbreak, such as foot and mouth disease and be able to easily trace stock.
While the move has positives for biosecurity, the start up costs have been an issue for many farmers, who have appealed to government for assistance…