By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
A GEELONG software company has developed an Australian-first paddock-to-plate GPS tracking system for agricultural products.
AgLive marketing manager Stewart McConachy said the system could track livestock right through the supply chain.
“We established GPS tracking provider Austracker in Geelong four years ago and two years ago we realised there was a gap in the livestock market. Farmers had a problem with maintaining livestock identification, so we designed and patented a system for geo-fencing of properties and GPS tracking of livestock.
“The system can trace fodder, the paddock the animal has grazed in, when the animal was vaccinated and any other quality assurance requirements.
“Retailers can check the quality assurance bar code on a product and be able to trace it right back to the paddock.”
Mr McConachy said farms larger than two hectares all had a property identification code and all cattle weretagged with a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID).
“The industry inevitably moving to used RFID tagging on all livestock such as sheep and goats to become part of the lectronic tracking of the supply chain.”
Mr McConachy said primary producers could use smart phone and tablets to access the system.
The system would also help protect against disease outbreaks, enabling quick tracking of affected animals and properties, he said.
