TasFarmers secures financial boost for compulsory EID scheme

Tasmania's state government has announced $11.6 million in funding to assist sheep and goat producers in implementing EID tags in preparation for the mandatory nationwide EID roll-out from 1 January 2025.

Interim CEO Alastair Cameron said TasFarmers has been working with state and federal governments to secure this assistance for producers since the announcement of the national scheme.

He said, "We're pleased by the announcement of this financial package and the support being shown for the industry by the government.

"When the scheme was first announced, there was a lot of pushback and concern from growers around the cost to implement what is a compulsory scheme.

"So this funding will greatly assist in getting the compulsory scheme up and running. Over time tags and reading equipment will simply become a cost to doing business like it did with cattle farmers,” he said.

The funding package aims to enhance supply chain infrastructure and offer discounts on tags for livestock producers. It includes:

• Rebates of up to 75% of costs for eID scanning infrastructure for eligible supply chain participants (processors, saleyards, transit yards).
• Rebates of up to 100% of costs for eID scanning equipment for eligible agricultural societies and not-for-profit groups.
• Rebates of up to 100% of costs for handheld eID scanning devices for eligible producers.
• Producers will also be eligible for a rebate of $1 per eID ear tag and $4 per eID goat leg band.

The infrastructure funding will be obtained through a grant scheme, with a rebate applied at the point of sale for tags.