Australian agricultural groups seek delay to eID rollout

Agricultural lobby groups across Australia are calling for the mandatory electronic identification (eID) rollout deadline for sheep and goats to be delayed or abolished. Organizations including NSW Farmers, WoolProducers Australia, AgForce in Queensland, and the Pastoralists Association of West Darling (PAWD) are advocating for the deadline to be pushed back from January 1, 2027, to January 1, 2029, or for the hard finish requirement to be removed entirely.

Producers have expressed concerns regarding the cost and necessity of retagging legacy stock. Craig Mitchell, NSW Farmers wool committee chair, noted that while new stock is being tagged, older animals—such as five-year-old ewes—currently hold NLIS numbers but lack eID tags. At a cost of approximately $2 per head, Mitchell suggested that a two-year delay would allow older animals to cycle out of the system naturally, avoiding the need for costly retagging. Some producers may refuse to retag older sheep as a form of protest.

According to a NSW government statement, 73 per cent of sheep and goats moving through the state's saleyards are already eID-tagged. Since January 2025, 25 million eID tags have been sold, with 5.5 million already scanned.