NSW saleyards are playing a key role in the rollout of electronic identification (eID) for sheep and goats, with strong uptake across the supply chain ahead of mandatory requirements from 1 January 2027.
From 1 January, in line with the nationally agreed implementation program, all sheep and goats must have an eID device applied before leaving any property, regardless of their age.
An eID device is an electronic identification device used to identify individual sheep and help track their movements between properties, saleyards, processors and other locations.
eID enhances the ability to identify and trace individual food and fibre producing animals and their products by:
- – Providing more accurate and timely traceability of animals;
- – Improving the ability of authorities to respond quickly to disease outbreaks or food safety concerns;
- – Reducing the number of animals and producers impacted (including animals destroyed) in response to an emergency disease;
- – Reducing the time that Australia is restricted from export markets following an emergency disease or residue incident.
“Having more sheep and goats electronically identified improves our ability to quickly trace livestock movements, which is essential when responding to emergency animal diseases or other biosecurity threats,” said Minister for Agriculture, Tara Moriarty.
“NSW is building a more resilient, traceable and biosecure sheep and goat industry that will support producers, saleyards and regional communities for years to come.”
Recent sheep sales at Griffith Saleyards have demonstrated the willingness of industry to prepare for the transition. An early September sale saw approximately 16,000 sheep yarded, four times the average yarding of 4,000 head, due mainly to dry conditions, with all sheep carrying compliant National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) tags.
Importantly, more than 13,000 of the younger sheep presented for sale were already fitted with electronic identification tags, highlighting the strong uptake by producers and the work of agents and saleyard operators to ensure livestock arrive with the correct identification.
“The results we’re seeing at saleyards such as Griffith show the sheep and goat industry is embracing electronic identification and preparing well for the move to mandatory eID,” said Ms Moriarty.
“Saleyards are a critical link in the livestock supply chain, and the strong compliance we’re seeing demonstrates the collaboration between producers, agents, saleyard operators and government.”
The Griffith result reflects a broader trend across NSW, where producers and industry have embraced eID. Nearly 25 million eID tags have been purchased since mandatory tagging requirements commenced in January 2025.
NSW saleyards have been at the forefront of the transition, with more than 5.5 million electronic identification tags scanned since January 2025.
In 2026, around 73% of all sheep and goats moving through NSW saleyards were already equipped with an eID device.
The NSW Government, with the support of the Australian Government, has committed $41 million to implement the nationally mandated sheep and goat eID system.
The NSW sheep and goat industry contributed $2.74 billion to the state’s primary industry total Gross Value of Production (GVP) of $25 billion in 2024-25.
