INNOVATION GRANTS SET TO BRING NLIS TAG PRICES DOWN
Published Thursday, 07 June, 2007 at 10:33 AM
Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries
The Honourable Tim Mulherin
National Livestock Identification System tag prices are set to fall as a result of Innovation Grants totalling $2.55 million being awarded to five tag and bolus manufacturers.
Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries Tim Mulherin said the grants were a major factor in bringing new players, new efficiencies and new technologies into the manufacturing sector producing NLIS devices.
“One manufacturer has been assisted to enter the market as a result of the Innovation Grant scheme and other existing companies are developing new systems that should enhance production efficiencies and result in tag price reductions in the coming months,” Mr Mulherin said.
Speaking in State Parliament today, Mr Mulherin said one company has already reduced the price of NLIS tags by 10 cents and another had indicated they will be announcing a sixty cent drop in the price of their tags in coming weeks.
Mr Mulherin said the grants would enable the price of tags to move closer to the $3 mark.
“One new tag to be released will have additional benefits of combining a numbered management tag that allows easier visual identification plus electronic reading capabilities. This will save producers the extra costs of having to apply additional visual management tag.
“In the future a new generation of NLIS tags with read/write capability will allow producers to further integrate NLIS into their routine on-farm management practices.
Read/write tags will be capable of storing data that could include information on vaccinations, worm drench history, supplements fed, and genetic history.”
The Innovation Grants are part of a $6.79 million funding plan developed by the Queensland NLIS Implementation Committee and the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries.
The funding plan also covers producer rebates for NLIS readers, saleyard infrastructure rebates and livestock agent rebates which have already been released.
This funding was made possible through joint arrangements with the Queensland Government, Meat and Livestock Australia and the Australian Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
The grant recipients include:
• Drover's Ay-one - $975,000 to set up an automated production system for the manufacturing of NLIS ear tags with a read/write capability.
• Rumitag Australasia - $300,000 to set up an automated production facility in south east Queensland for the production of bolus and ear tags.
• Zee Tags - $575,000 to set up automated production at it’s facility in south east Queensland for the production of NLIS ear tags.
• Leader Products - $200,000 to set up a recycling process for the removal and reuse of transponders from used ear tags. The recycled transponders are presently used in non NLIS devices for sheep and goats.
• Allflex Australia - $500,000 to automate and integrate their Capalaba tag production facility.
“The NLIS Innovation Grant will be the catalyst to provide long-term benefits and cost savings to primary producers in the years to come,” Mr Mulherin said.
More information on NLIS is available from the DPI&F Web site www.dpi.qld.gov.au/NLIS or by calling the DPI&F Business Information Centre on 132523.
Media: 323 96530
Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries Tim Mulherin said the grants were a major factor in bringing new players, new efficiencies and new technologies into the manufacturing sector producing NLIS devices.
“One manufacturer has been assisted to enter the market as a result of the Innovation Grant scheme and other existing companies are developing new systems that should enhance production efficiencies and result in tag price reductions in the coming months,” Mr Mulherin said.
Speaking in State Parliament today, Mr Mulherin said one company has already reduced the price of NLIS tags by 10 cents and another had indicated they will be announcing a sixty cent drop in the price of their tags in coming weeks.
Mr Mulherin said the grants would enable the price of tags to move closer to the $3 mark.
“One new tag to be released will have additional benefits of combining a numbered management tag that allows easier visual identification plus electronic reading capabilities. This will save producers the extra costs of having to apply additional visual management tag.
“In the future a new generation of NLIS tags with read/write capability will allow producers to further integrate NLIS into their routine on-farm management practices.
Read/write tags will be capable of storing data that could include information on vaccinations, worm drench history, supplements fed, and genetic history.”
The Innovation Grants are part of a $6.79 million funding plan developed by the Queensland NLIS Implementation Committee and the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries.
The funding plan also covers producer rebates for NLIS readers, saleyard infrastructure rebates and livestock agent rebates which have already been released.
This funding was made possible through joint arrangements with the Queensland Government, Meat and Livestock Australia and the Australian Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
The grant recipients include:
• Drover's Ay-one - $975,000 to set up an automated production system for the manufacturing of NLIS ear tags with a read/write capability.
• Rumitag Australasia - $300,000 to set up an automated production facility in south east Queensland for the production of bolus and ear tags.
• Zee Tags - $575,000 to set up automated production at it’s facility in south east Queensland for the production of NLIS ear tags.
• Leader Products - $200,000 to set up a recycling process for the removal and reuse of transponders from used ear tags. The recycled transponders are presently used in non NLIS devices for sheep and goats.
• Allflex Australia - $500,000 to automate and integrate their Capalaba tag production facility.
“The NLIS Innovation Grant will be the catalyst to provide long-term benefits and cost savings to primary producers in the years to come,” Mr Mulherin said.
More information on NLIS is available from the DPI&F Web site www.dpi.qld.gov.au/NLIS or by calling the DPI&F Business Information Centre on 132523.
Media: 323 96530