Funding grants to support Victorian producers with the roll out of sheep and goat electronic identification have proven to be highly successful with the total amount for optional equipment nearing full allocation.
John Keiller, a prime lamb and wool producer from Cashmore Park, said he had received a grant to help purchase an electronic tag panel reader.
“The reader will help us to record individual lambs at marking time and to follow the future production of twin born ewe lambs in our flock to lift our productivity,” Mr Keiller said.
The success of the funding program indicates that there is a genuine interest amongst producers in the potential productivity and flock management gains of electronic identification.
To date, grants have been approved for sheep producers totalling nearly $680,000.
The steady stream of applications mean the funding, which covers costs up to 50 per cent of eligible equipment cost, is expected to be fully allocated in the next 4 to 6 weeks.
Warren Straw, Director of Sheep Electronic Identification at Agriculture Victoria, commented on the quick uptake of the funding from producers.
“The grants are a key part of our transition package and it’s been great to see how well producers have responded to this opportunity,” Mr Straw said.
Given the early consensus that the electronic tagging reforms for sheep and goats should primarily be industry led, the grants have proven to be a strong momentum builder to help producers identify and adopt the technological benefits of electronic tagging into their farm operations.
The majority of applications have been for wand and panel readers and have come from producers right across Victoria’s sheep producing regions.
The producer grants are part of the $17 million transition package which has been committed to support the industry’s transition to the new electronic identification system for sheep and goats.
In addition to the grant funding for optional equipment, all producers continue to benefit from the tag subsidies that are part of the transition package.
Funding details and application forms can be found at www.agriculture.vic.gov.au/sheepEID, or by emailing EID.grants@ecodev.vic.gov.au.