Mandatory electronic identification (eID) for newborn sheep and goats has been a requirement in Tasmania from 1 January 2025 and will be a requirement for all sheep and goats from 1 January 2027.
eIDs are National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) approved tags that contain a microchip which provides a unique electronic identification of an animal.
eIDs are not just for producers of sheep and goats. The new requirements apply even if you own only a few backyard animals.
By January 2027, all sheep or goats leaving your property must be fitted with an eID, regardless of their age or destination.
The elD system:
allows enhanced biosecurity management as individual sheep and goats to be traced more accurately and efficiently
allows us to quickly respond and recover from emergency animal disease outbreaks
improves consumer confidence in sheep and goat products
strengthens market access
enhances herd monitoring and management.
Financial assistance
To support the introduction of national mandatory individual electronic identification (eID) for sheep and goats, the Government provided funding for eligible applicants:
Grant Round 3 Producer Support Scheme
Now closed
| Grant Round 3 is now closed.
Grants were provided to support producers, businesses and organisations to meet new requirements for scanning of electronic tags and uploading of data to the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS).
Applications were accepted until 30 June 2025 to provide reimbursements for eID scanning equipment.
Eligible applicants included:
- Sheep and goat owners
- Agricultural show societies
- School farms
- Organisations that run livestock events for (or with) sheep or goats
- Local Government
- Not-for-profit organisations
- Veterinarians that treat sheep or goats
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Grant Round 2 eID Tag Rebate Scheme
Now Closed
| Grant Round 2 is now closed.
Grant Round 2 provided a discount of $1 per tag (or $4 per leg band) to eID purchasers at the point of sale for NLIS approved eIDs.
The discount scheme aimed to help owners of sheep and goats transition from the current visual device and mob-based approach to individual sheep or goat tags, by providing a discount on purchased tags.
More than 3 million sheep and goat eID were sold during the grant round.
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Grant Round 1 of the Support Scheme
Now closed
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Next steps
Biosecurity (Livestock Traceability) Regulations
The
Biosecurity (Livestock Traceability) Regulations 2024 were gazetted on 11 December 2024.
Biosecurity Tasmania sought feedback from stakeholders on the new Regulations in 2024 over a period of 8 weeks and 4 days.
Submissions were used to inform the development of the new Regulations.