WHILE radio frequency identification tags offer producers the ability to accurately record a wide range of information about their flocks and herds, the cost to implement a RFID system is prohibitive to many farmers.
Use of RFID tags is voluntary, but some fear that the technology will soon be made mandatory at great cost to the industry.
Livestock SA president Richard Halliday said the best way of ensuring the RFID system was not made mandatory was to maintain the integrity and accuracy of stock movement documentation.
"Make sure the documentation is filled out properly," Mr Halliday said.
"The moment we drop off in our ability to fill out correct information, that's when we'll be told we have no choice but to electronically tag."
He said the cost to equip saleyards and trucks with reading equipment would be high, but said some producers may be encouraged to adopt the technology if they were being rewarded for it financially.
"There is talk around that eventually even the truck drivers will have panel readers on the back of their trucks which read the tags when the animals run on and off," he said.
"It'll be the same going into the yards. To equip a place like Dublin to handle electronic tags will probably cost around about $5.5 million dollars - the same as it will cost to do the Bendigo yards.
"We did have a conversation with Thomas Foods at one point where they mentioned that they want to go down that path with their meat going through their works. They said that when they do get to that point they'll probably offer something per kilo for lambs to be electronic tagged.
"If they want to pay us extra per kilo which covers the cost to tag plus a little bit, then I reckon we'll all probably have a go, but it's got to be commercially-driven."
* Full report in Stock Journal, July 3, 2014 issue.
Jacinta Rose
Stock Journal's online editor.
Stock Journal's online editor.
