WA farmers lagging in the use of Property Identification Codes when filling in information about wool bales

WA woolgrowers are lagging in the use of Property Identification Codes when filling in information about wool bale lots, with new figures showing the State sometimes has the lowest use of PICs of tested bales in Australia.
Australian Wool Innovation this month issued an urgent call to farmers to continue ramping up traceability on-farm, with new figures showing the use of Property Identification Codes surging nearly 50 per cent in October nationwide.
Comparatively, just 2.1 per cent of Australian farmers used a PIC during in October 2021.
Last October, Queensland led the way with 90.9 per cent of lots tested having a PIC, while WA only sat at just 21.7 per cent.
A PIC is an eight-character alphanumeric code allocated by state or territory authorities to livestock producing properties.
Anyone that owns sheep requires a PIC, which can then be provided to the farmer’s wool classer and property manager.
The information is then included on the Wool Classer’s Specification and National Wool Declaration.
An Australian Wool Innovation spokesman said the traceability was “vital during a time of crisis”, and was more important than ever with foot-and-mouth disease on the nation’s doorstep after being detected in Indonesia in xxx
“The purpose of the PIC is partly for tracing and controlling disease and residue problems that may be detected after leaving the farm,” the spokesman said.
“But it is also for locating properties and owners where wool has come from when an outbreak of a disease that may threaten their enterprise is detected in an area.”
The issue of traceability and biosecurity has been thrown into the spotlight during the past eight months, after an FMD outbreak was reported in Indonesia in May last year.
The AWI spokesman attributed the national October surge in PIC use to growing awareness about the importance of biosecurity after the FMD outbreak, with an outbreak in Australia estimated to cost the national economy $80 billion.
“PICs can also play a crucial role during response to other emergencies such as floods and fires because livestock owners can often be warned of impending danger, and can also be assisted more effectively in the aftermath of such events,” he said.
“Use of traceability systems in the wool industry also provide confidence to consumers in domestic and overseas markets that the products they buy are accurately described and fit for purpose.”
In recent months, Australia’s peak sheep and wool producer bodies have thrown their support behind a nationally agreed plan to make electronic identification mandatory for sheep.
From January 2025, all National Livestock Identification System-approved visual tags are expected to be “withdrawn from sale” though a plan to have the nation’s entire 70.9 million head flock fitted with electronic ear tags.
EID is already mandatory for all Australian cattle, with the sheep transition expected to cost nearly $50m for WA alone.
Victoria is the only State to have introduced mandatory EID for sheep, with all other States and Territories still using visual tags.
WA farmers can update their PIC through the Department of Primary Industries and Regional WA.
Get the latest news from thewest.com.au in your inbox.
Sign up for our emails