Transcending traceability: looking for added value from eID tags

The national rollout of mandatory sheep and goat electronic identification (eID) aka radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags continues to be a hot topic in the media and among industry stakeholders. While the purpose of a national eID tagging system is primarily aimed at bolstering Australia’s livestock traceability capabilities, a digitally based system could also bring additional benefits for sheep and goat producers in the areas of animal welfare, reproduction and overall efficiency.

Many of these benefits relate to the ability of eID devices to be used to record and store data of individual animals, compared to mob-based visual tagging system. This allows for performance data to be gathered on individuals and capture the high degree of variation between animals in the mob. Capitalising on these benefits can help you get as much value as possible out of the implementation of eID tags and infrastructure on your property. Some of these benefits are highlighted below.

Genetics and reproduction

• Identify poor performers sooner and improve the accuracy of your breeding selection
• Capture pregnancy data to assess the reproductive performance of ewes in your flock
• Adjust your management practices to provide individual animals with the best possible opportunity to reach their genetic potential
• Measure litter weight weaned (LWW) to assess ewe reproductive performance. More info here: Measuring litter weight weaned (LWW) with EID | On-farm benefits of electronic identification (EID) | Sheep | Livestock and animals | Agriculture Victoria.

Animal management

• Accurately track parasite treatments and antibiotic usage
• Record in real-time the number of animals present on the property and animals recently sold
• Take human error out of record keeping and reduces administrative burden
• Improved accuracy for measuring parameters such as daily weight gain on individual animals.

More info available on Agriculture Victoria’s website: On-farm benefits of electronic identification (EID) | Sheep | Livestock and animals | Agriculture Victoria.

Animal Welfare

RSPCA Australia has summarised a list of benefits that the eID system can bring to animal welfare both on farms and at the saleyard/abattoir. Some examples include:

• Electronic ID allows better on-farm monitoring and management of individual animals, allowing producers to better meet their health and welfare needs.
• Rapid identification across the supply chain of animals that may be at risk of disease in the incidence of an EAD outbreak, allowing rapid treatment or euthanasia to prevent suffering associated with the disease.
• At abattoirs, it will allow the ability to provide the producer with information regarding an individual animal, e.g. carcass bruising, presence of grass seeds, disease, etc., which could lead to better handling or animal management on farm particularly if the abattoir attaches commercial drivers to these characteristics.
• At sale yards and abattoirs: it will allow rapid identification of poor welfare cases allowing trace back to the property of origin and appropriate action to be taken.

See the RSPCA website for more: What are the animal welfare benefits of an electronic identification (NLIS) tag for farm animals? – RSPCA Knowledgebase.