More than 1,200 farmers respond within 48 hours on draft animal identification regulations

More than 1,200 livestock farmers have taken part within 48hours in a survey on the draft animal identification regulations published inthe Government Gazette by the Minister of Agriculture on 6 October 2026. Thesurvey, open to all livestock farmers regardless of organisation, does not askfor opinions but for what farmers do on their farms today: when lambs arehandled, how far the nearest Department of Agriculture office is, which markingmethods are used and whether there is internet at the pens.

The draft regulations require, among other things, thatevery animal carries two ear tags, that lambs are tagged within three weeks ofbirth, that a lost tag is reported at a Department of Agriculture office orpolice station within seven days and that every change of ownership isregistered on the INTERGIS system within seven days. Non-compliance ispunishable by a fine or up to two years' imprisonment, while the AnimalImprovement Act under which the regulations are made allows a maximum of sixmonths.

"Farmers are not against traceability. They are againstrules that cannot be carried out on a farm and that are made under the wrongAct," says Francois Rossouw, CEO of Saai. "We will not answer theMinister with opinions but with numbers from thousands of farms. The firstresults show that the gap between what the draft requires and what happens onfarms is wide."

Saai will submit its full comment, with the survey resultsand a legal opinion, to the Department of Agriculture before the deadline of 4January 2027, and calls on the Minister to withdraw the draft regulations andconsult the industry properly before a new version is published under theappropriate legislation.

The survey is available at bit.ly/eartags2026

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