Kevin Butler with his test sheep before releasing them into his paddocks now armed with the Ceres tag designed to stop livestock theft “in its tracks”. Livestock theft is estimated to cost Australian farmers more than $72 million. “And there's an extra 50 million worth that we think goes unreported,” he said. Photos: Andy Wilson
A Kilmore East sheep farmer believes that stock theft may become a thing of the past with the advent of a tracking ear tag being re-launched in Australia. ANDY WILSON reports.
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Kevin Butler tagged and released “Alpha” on Thursday, April 27 the first ewe on his central Victorian farm to wear a satellite device designed by Ceres Technology to keep track of any flock of sheep.
Mr Butler said the Ceres tag will stop livestock theft “dead in its tracks”.
“I’ll give rustling between two to five years before it comes to an end,” Mr Butler said.
“I have no doubt whatsoever that it works.
“This is for farmers who are switched on and the idea is for this to become the mainstream in Australia.”
The Australian Institute of Crime estimates that six per cent of all Australian farmers have livestock stolen which cost farmers $72 million in 2002.
It is estimated that a further $50 million is not reported to police.
Mr Butler said $50,000 worth of lambs stolen from his property on January 4 led him to begin investigating options of how technology could help keep his stock secure.
His inspiration came from a dog fence at Julia Creek.
“I thought that if five farmers can get together with one boundary then they put a fence around the whole lot and split the cost, then what can I do?” he said.
“The first issue of these tags will be allocated to a cluster of 24 local farmers who were given a discount by sharing the satellite software involved and also buying the tags in bulk.
“So it’s all very flexible between properties.”
The tag’s price and software licence has plummeted in recent years from $4000 to $475 for a starter kit.
Mr Butler spoke of some early success with the tags.
“A Northern Territory cattle farmer used the technology to discover that 2000 of his sheep were in the path of a bushfire while he was in Sydney,” he said.
“So he called his manager to cut a fence and rescue them and it saved about $2 million worth of stock for him.
“It’s an incredible investment.”
Kevin Butler shares a kiss with “Alpha”, his first ewe to be tagged with the Ceres tag which uses satellite technology to keep livestock safe from rustling. Mr Butler's community-based approach to using the tags has provided farmers with a ‘huge’ discount.
Mr Butler’s community-based scheme is the first of its type which engages a cluster of farmers to stay in very close contact online with the technology.
The geolocation of any flock of sheep can be watched live on any farmer’s phone.
“The software company Ceres Technology was great in allowing one licence to be shared among many, that’s what made the difference,” he said.
The ear tag has other features that help with determining greenhouse gas emissions.
Satellite tracking of Kevin Butler’s sheep Alpha (red) and Beta (yellow) on Thursday night showed the effectiveness of the Ceres tag. Mr Butler said the two sheep were the first animals launched as part of his community’s cluster program designed to bring stock theft to an end.
The tag sends data on how much an animal has eaten by recording how often it moves its head from side to side.
A further algorithm can then calculate the amount of methane the animal has produced.
Mr Butler said that success would be better achieved with a community approach.
“A sense of community is often hard to achieve but when you look at the big picture, then you’ve got to tuck all those differences away and work together.
“And if you’re in a cluster this is much, much cheaper.
“Another advantage is that you don’t have to phone the software company for help, but you can work together in your community, and I know there will be a determined effort by the community to get on board with this.”
“I have 28 members in a WhatsApp chat group and already we’re communicating about this.”
Mr Butler’s new tags met with success on the evening of April 27 through a text from his daughter Sarah.
“Hi Dad, the two tags are now active on the Ceres portal.”
Although fence signs can prove a deterrent on their own, Mr Butler said his community group would be “ethical” in its approach to ensure all farmers had the tags in use.
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