With foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) on Australia's doorstep in Indonesia, the NSW government is calling for sheep and goats to be electronically tagged nationwide.
NSW Agriculture Minister Dugald Saunders said the state government will propose a national individual identification tagging system for sheep and goats at a meeting with all Australian agriculture ministers on Wednesday, .
"The FMD crisis in Indonesia, and its recent spread to Bali, is a significant threat to our livestock industry, with the potential to cost the Australian economy $80 billion and send shockwaves through regional communities for years to come," he said on Tuesday.
The current National Livestock Identification System includes electronic ID of individual animals to allow tracing of cattle, but relies on a mob-based system for tracing the movement of sheep and goats.
"Individual traceability for sheep and goats will be crucial during an emergency disease outbreak and deliver benefits across the supply chain,'' Mr Saunders said.
"An effective national traceability system is critical to ensure NSW can continue exporting more than $1 billion in sheep meat each year."
Last week, federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said $14 million would be spent to combat the spread of the disease in Australia and overseas.
Included in that figure is $5 million to go towards on-the-ground measures in Indonesia, Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea, including technical assistance and epidemiological support.
A further $9 million will be spent on 18 new biosecurity officers to be stationed at Australian airports and mail centres, as well as detector dogs in Cairns and Darwin.
Farmers have also urged travellers from Bali to throw out their thongs before arriving in Australia, to help stop the highly contagious disease.
Mr Saunders said the national system needed to be developed "hand in hand" with the agricultural industry to have uniformity across the country.
Sheep Producers Australia CEO Bonnie Skinner welcomed the minister's proposal, saying it would prove effective in shoring up Australia's biosecurity measures.
"The rapid and reliable tracing of livestock plays a significant part in emergency disease response," she said.
"The faster animals are traced the greater the chance of controlling the disease outbreak and minimising its economic and social effects system."
Australian Associated Press
