About sheep and goat electronic identification (eID)

Mandatory individual electronic identification (eID) for sheep and goats started in Queensland on 1 January 2025, as part of an agreed national initiative.

Electronic identification, or eID, is a device with a microchip inside, generally in an ear tag. eID technology has been used successfully for cattle in Australia since 2005, and in sheep and goats in Victoria since 2017.

The national eID system has 3 elements to enable quick livestock tracing:

Each location where sheep or goats are kept has a property identification code (PIC).
A device with a microchip inside is used to identify each animal.
Information about each animal is entered into the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) database.

Implementation plan

Queensland will transition to mandatory individual eID for sheep and goats in 2 stages:

Sheep and goats born on or after 1 January 2025 must be identified with an NLIS-accredited eID device before leaving their property of birth.
From 1 January 2027, all other sheep and goats leaving a property must be identified with an NLIS-accredited eID device before leaving the property.

What you will need

Producers will need:

eID devices
eID device applicator
reader and computer to support the NLIS database transfer if you purchase livestock directly from another property.

Saleyards will need:

eID readers
connectivity, software and hardware
modified yard infrastructure.

Processors will need:

eID readers (existing or new)
modified infrastructure.

Financial assistance

The Queensland Government rebate to offset the cost of purchasing NLIS-accredited eID devices and readers closed on 30 June 2025.

Harvested rangeland goats

A harvested rangeland goat has:

been captured from a wild state
not been born from a managed breeding program
not been subjected to any animal husbandry procedure or treatment.

Movement without an eID

From 1 January 2025, you can move harvested rangeland goats from the property of capture without an eID device:

directly to an abattoir
or
directly to an abattoir via one registered goat depot.

You must meet these requirements:

Goats must meet the definition of harvested rangeland goats.
If a registered depot is used, goats must not be held there for more than 10 days.
You must have a current biosecurity entity registration with property identification code/s for the properties where harvested rangeland goats are captured.
The biosecurity entity registration must also have ‘harvested rangeland goats’ and ‘managed goats’ included in the animal activity to include any captured goat that does not meet the harvested rangeland goat definition.
You must obtain a travel approval for harvested rangeland goats from Biosecurity Queensland—complete the Queensland harvested rangeland goat travel approval form.
You must hold accreditation with Livestock Production Assurance (LPA) for harvested rangeland goats and meet all accreditation requirements.

Read more about the compliance changes for harvested rangeland goats.

Benefits of eID

Sheep and goat eID improves biosecurity through accurate and timely tracing. This helps to reduce the length and impact of an emergency animal disease outbreak or chemical residue incident.

Watch the Where's Woolly? video to learn more.

Queensland Traceability Advisory Group (QTAG)

The Queensland Traceability Advisory Group (QTAG) is made up of key industry representatives and government agencies who are working together to implement eID in Queensland.

National approach

Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia and South Australia have implemented or announced their own implementation plans.

The Australian Government has an industry-government Sheep and Goat Traceability Task Force to ensure the NLIS database and eID systems across all states and territories are compatible.

More information

Watch the sheep and goat eID webinar to learn more about sheep and goat eID.
Read how to transfer sheep and goats with elD tags (PDF, 356KB).
Learn about NLIS Standards.
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