Australia has a world-leading livestock traceability system that ensures every sheep is traceable through the supply chain from birth to processing.

During their lives, animals often move between properties or through saleyards, agricultural shows, feedlots and processing facilities. Being able to rapidly trace these movements is critically important to:
 

• Facilitate swift responses by government and industry in the event of emergency animal disease outbreaks

• Maintain 'market access' which refers to Australia's ability to sell products to markets in Australia and overseas

• Manage food safety and public health.
   

Australia's electronic identification (eID) system has a number of advantages. Livestock can be traced more quickly and accurately than using visual identification.

Producers have also been using eID for many years already to inform their decisions and increase productivity. It provides farmers with data and technology to better understand their flock, fine-tune practices and genetics, and trial innovations.

In the future, eID presents a significant opportunity to facilitate the flow of information from processor back to producers about the quality of their carcase, helping them make informed decisions about what's working well and where they can improve.