ELECTRONIC identification (eID) tags are now available to purchase online via a platform designed to cut costs, improve access, and reinvest in the future of the sector. 

Sheep Producers Australia (SPA) recently launched its Mob Mate platform, developed in partnership with Leader Products. It offers a cost-effective and convenient option for ordering eID tags – which became mandatory for all sheep and goats in Australia at the start of the year. 

SPA chair, Bindi Murray, said the platform was developed to make traceability reforms simpler and more affordable for producers, while ensuring any profits are directed back into industry support, including advocacy, biosecurity, and producer development programs.

"Research commissioned two years ago showed producers wanted more control over ordering and better tag pricing," Murray said. 

"We've responded by offering a simple, cost-effective online option that supports the people who matter most — producers at the farmgate."

Murray said only a small percentage of sheep tags are purchased online currently, compared to almost half of cattle tags.

"That gap shows the opportunity — by offering producers a digital channel, we're creating a more resilient, flexible system ready for future demand," she said. 

This marks SPA's first commercial partnership to sell products directly to producers.

"It's a new model for the Australian sheep industry, used successfully in other countries and grounded in the same principle that's always guided us — delivering real value to producers," Murray said. 

Victorian producers must purchase tags through Agriculture Victoria, but producers from all other states can now register via the SPA website to order the eID tags online via this link.