Are you eID ready?

Mandatory electronic identification (eID) for sheep and farmed goats is fast approaching and it is important that South Australian producers understand how eID will impact them and what they need to do to prepare.

1 January 2025 is an important date for anyone who owns sheep or goats – even if they are kept as pets. All sheep and farmed goats born from this date will need to be identified with an NLIS-accredited eID tag before leaving their property of birth. Older sheep and farmed goats can be voluntarily eID tagged now but tagging these animals prior to leaving the property won’t be mandatory until 1 January 2027.

For many producers the only change will be changing from a visual tag to an electronic tag. For producers who bring animals onto property directly from another property (P2P movements), there will be a few more things to consider such as scanning equipment and knowing how to complete individual animal transfers on the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) database.
Producers will not need to scan individual eID tags if buying or selling at a saleyard – this responsibility will lie with the saleyard operator. Similarly, producers do not need to scan animals with eID tags that are consigned to a processor – this responsibility will lie with the processor.

Producers who carry out P2P movements will need to consider the need for scanning equipment in line with South Australia’s implementation timeline. From 1 January 2025, producers who conduct P2P movements will need to be ready to scan sheep and goats with eID tags and record individual movements on the NLIS database.

The State Government has a number of funding programs in place to help the supply chain transition to eID. Producers can take advantage of the eID tag discount scheme that is available for NLIS-accredited eID tags aligned to the year-of-birth colour system. The $0.95 discount is applied at the point of sale and is currently on offer for black (2024) eID tags purchased up until 31 December 2024, with white (2025) eID tags available at the discounted price from 1 January 2025 until 30 June 2025.

A rebate of 50% up to a cap of $0.95 per tag is also available for producers who do not follow the NLIS year-of-birth colour system. The expanded eID rebate includes all eight colours in the year-of-birth system and is available for purchases made between 1 January 2023 and 30 June 2025.

Essential equipment and infrastructure rebates are open for producers, agents, saleyards and processors. The producer rebate covers 75% of the cost of essential equipment for eligible producers who meet the P2P criteria. The maximum amount varies and is dependent on the number of animals moved annually onto a property directly from another property over the past three years.

Head to the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) website to learn more about eID tags, tagging and scanning dates, rebates and more: https://pir.sa.gov.au/eid