Mandatory individual eID in Sheep & Goats - Tag incentives and discounts
Australian Ministers of Agriculture agreed in September 2022 to make individual electronic identification (eID) mandatory for sheep and goats born from 1 January 2025.
The drivers for this significant change were to improve traceability for emergency animal disease management, food safety issues and to underpin trade and market access for the sheep and goat sectors.
The roll out and transition to mandatory eID was guided by the Victorian experience where the process had been started in 2017 and finished in 2022. The basis of the system is the use of half duplex (HDX) radio frequency identification devices (RFIDs) or microchips as have been deployed in the cattle industry since 2005.
eID tags enable digital recording of individual sheep and goats. As animals are bought, sold and moved along the supply chain, each movement is recorded on the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) database.
This enables complete traceability of animal movements. eID also offers sheep and goat producers the ability to digitally capture individual production trait data enabling objective- based management decision-making.
Sheep and Goat eID roll out
All states (except Victoria): Mandatory eID for sheep and goats born from 1 January 2025.
Western Australia: For sheep and goats born prior to 1 January 2025, mandatory eID is required where those animals are leaving a property from 1 July 2026 onward.
New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and Queensland: From 1 January 2027, mandatory eID required for all other sheep and farmed goats leaving a property.
Victoria: the implementation of mandatory eID was completed in January 2022.
QLD Government
eID assistance package:Rebate 50% to cap of $1600 per PIC for tags or equipment
NSW Government
Tag Discount program:$0.76 incl GST per tag
Only WHITE eID tags - 01.11.24 to 31.10.25
Victoria Government
WA Government
Tag incentive program:$0.75 per tag discount
2025 - White eID tags
SA Government
Point-of-sale tag discount:$0.95 per tag
2025 - White eID tags
Tasmanian Government
Point-of-sale tag discount:$1 per eID tag
Closes 30.06.26
