Around the Camp: Technology factsheet, Fit to Join, QLD wool production, Deep dive on traceability

  1. Quick picks: Technology factsheet, Fit to Join, QLD wool production, satellite imagery, Wear Wool Not Waste campaign
  2. Deep dive – Future proofing the flock: the case for eID
  3. Upcoming events
  4. Podcasts, eBulletins and surveys

Quick picks

Incorporating technology into yards: Fact sheet alert! We’ve developed this handy guide for introducing new technology into yards – from drafts to handlers, and weigh boxes to electronic identification (eID) readers. Learn from sheep producers who have recently altered their yard design.

Is your flock Fit to Join? Spring joining producers, it’s time to check your rams’ teeth, toes, tackle and testes. Ideally rams should have about a 3.5 body condition score (BCS) for joining, with 3 to 4 months of wool to help with temperature regulation. Click here to view AWI and Zoetis’ pre-joining checklist to make sure you’re setting up your ram team for success.

For autumn-joined flocks who are in the midst of lamb marking, now is the perfect time to identify when you will check the fitness of your ewes for the next joining. Four to six weeks post weaning is the optimal time to assess udders, feet, mouths and BCS to identify whether supplementary feeding will be required to get ewes up to about 3 BCS  before joining. The Fit to Join ute guide is found here.

Queensland sheep and wool production 2023/24: Queensland woolgrowers produced 10.1 million kilograms of shorn wool in 2023/24, overtaking Tasmania to become the fifth-largest wool producing state in the country. Queensland woolgrowers represent 1.7% of total wool levy payers in Australia and produce 3.2% of the national clip from 2.7 million sheep. Shorn sheep numbers have increased by 0.5 million since 2021/22. These figures are presented in the latest AWI in Your State – Queensland document.

High-tech satellite imagery to measure on-farm environmental performance: A new collaborative project between AWI and the SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre aims to overcome the challenge of costly and time-consuming environmental verification audits. The project will explore how advanced satellite imagery can be advanced with machine learning and artificial intelligence to measure on-farm natural capital assets (i.e. ground cover, tree cover, sequestration etc.). Interested? Click here to learn more.

Queensland Sheep Producer Group webpage: We’ve created a new Leading Sheep webpage, which will be a one-stop shop for information about on-farm demonstrations in Queensland. Check it out if you’d like to get involved with a producer group or better understand project outcomes. All updates for the Making Maidens Weight Producer Demonstration Site are available on this webpage.

Ask the Board & Chairman’ webinar: If you missed AWI’s recent ‘Ask the Board and Chairman’ webinar, you can catch up here. The webinar covered the latest in wool research, development and marketing, and the board answered a variety of questions. Remember, voting for WoolPoll 2024 is open until 5 November. AWI is recommending woolgrowers vote for a 2% levy to enable delivery of key projects. Learn more about what the different levy options mean for investment, here.

Wear Wool, Not Waste: Did you know the average polyester product is lively to survive in landfill for more than 200 years1? AWI’s latest global brand campaign Wear Wool, Not Waste is built on this idea, creatively featuring people rushing from a zombie invasion of old synthetic clothes that still haunt the planet today. This campaign highlights the natural, renewable and biodegradable qualities of wool compared to the ‘fossil fuelled’ fast fashion that contributes to landfill. The 60-second video will be run online internationally by AWI subsidiary The Woolmark Company.

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Deep dive – Future proofing the flock: the case for eID

An article recently published in the Australian Veterinary Journal examines the benefits and barriers to implementing electronic identification (eID) in NSW’s small ruminant industries. One of the findings was the existence of a gap in understanding of the purpose and importance of the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS). This article aims to highlight how mandatory eID will place the industry in the best possible position to handle biosecurity and market pressures.

Australia is in the advantageous position of being free from emergency animal diseases that have impacted the livestock industries in many countries (e.g. foot and mouth disease). In the absence of disease outbreaks, the benefits of NLIS and the improvements that will be brought about by eID are not necessarily obvious. “The ultimate measure of success of [biosecurity] systems is often seen in terms of the absence of a negative outcome”(Hernandez-Jover et al. 2024).

Why is eID being implemented?

eID is being implemented to improve traceability and biosecurity. Identification and tracing of animals is crucial for the control and management of disease outbreaks and investigation of food safety concerns. As was demonstrated during the 2001 foot and mouth disease outbreak in the United Kingdom, prompt, efficient and effective traceability of infected and exposed animals is vital to minimising the magnitude and duration of an emergency disease outbreak. Some of the facts:

  • Queensland has more than 2.7 million sheep (AWI 2024) and tens of thousands of property-to-property sheep movements every month.
  • Australia has a 56% chance of a significant animal disease incursion in the next 5 years (reference).
  • A foot and mouth disease outbreak in Australia is estimated to cost $80 billion over 10 years (reference).

How is eID an improvement?

In the case of a disease outbreak or food/fibre safety concern, eID will improve the speed and accuracy of tracing animals. A traceability exercise in 2020 demonstrated the benefits of eID compared to the existing mob-based system. They found that for the previous 30 days:

  • 70% of slaughtered sheep with visual tags could be traced back to the vendor/property of residence.
  • 99% of slaughtered sheep with eID could be traced back to the vendor/property of residence.

In addition to improved accuracy, Victoria’s experience has shown that animal tracing has been reduced from days with the mob-based system to minutes with eID. More animals are traced more quickly with the eID system, enabling authorities to react more quickly to disease and food safety incidents.

How will eID benefit you?

In the event of an emergency animal disease, eID will reduce the:

  • amount of time your property may be required to be under quarantine.
  • number of producers and animals impacted (including animals euthanised).
  • amount of time until animals and animal products can be moved following a livestock standstill.
  • time Australia is restricted from export markets following a disease incursion, food safety incident, or chemical residue incident.

The best case scenario is that the benefits of eID will never have to be realised through a crisis situation. However, having all animals tagged will place the sheep and wool industry in the best possible position to manage an outbreak which ultimately protects the livelihoods of producers.

Being an export-oriented industry requires Australia to proactively understand and meet the expectations of its trading partners. With 98% of Australian wool and more than 70% of Australian sheep meat is exported and sold overseas, the implementation of a nationwide eID system makes Australia more attractive to key trading partners, as they increasingly demand transparency and assurance of best practice throughout the supply chain. Individual eID will be vital for maintaining positive market position and access and guaranteeing product integrity/safety position (Australian Sheep Sustainability Framework).

Beyond direct market implications, eID offers the opportunity to promote provenance of sheep products to a growing base of brands and consumers seeking this information.

eID in sheep is not being legislated for the production benefits. However, many producers are using this change as an opportunity to collect data via eID tags to assist decision making to improve fleece quality, flock reproduction and meat production. eID also provides a platform for technological advancement throughout the supply chain with some sheep meat processors exploring how to provide individual carcase feedback to producers, to assist in selection. Leading Sheep has gathered information from producers who are using eID to improve efficiency and production. Click here to read more.

Sheep born on or after 1 January 2025 must be identified with an NLIS-accredited eID device before leaving their property of birth. A subsidy for tags and/or eID readers (handheld and panel) is available until June 2025 should you have purchased one from 1 January 2023 onwards (more details here).

This article was written by Extension Officer Millie Sheales.

Upcoming events

  • 11 November. Dung Beetle Workshop, Blackall. Delivered by DCQ. For more information and to register click here.
  • 12. November. Dung Beetle Workshop, Longreach. Delivered by DCQ. For more information and to register click here.
  • 13. November. Dung Beetle Workshop, Winton. Delivered by DCQ. For more information and to register click here.
  • 13 November. What’s your plan? Workshop, Thargomindah. Delivered by DAF. For more information and to register click here.
  • 14 November. What’s your plan? Workshop, Wyandra. Delivered by DAF. For more information and to register click here.
  • 14 November. Dung Beetle Workshop, Prairie. Delivered by DCQ. For more information and to register click here.
  • 4 December. Wool workshop, Longreach. Delivered by DAF. Information to come.
  • 10-12 December. Nutrition EDGE, Longreach. Delivered by Désirée Jackson. For more information, click here, or contact Desiree at 0409 062 692 or desireejackson@djlm.com.au.

Podcasts, eBulletins and surveys

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