Sheep Ear Tags Australia: Visual, EID & Colour Guide
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Every sheep that leaves a property in Australia needs an ear tag, and with electronic tagging phasing in around the country, plenty of producers are buying tags with new questions for the first time in years. This guide walks through the two tag types, the year-colour system, what the electronic transition actually means, and how to pick tags that suit your mob.
If you already know you need electronic tags, you can jump straight to our EID sheep and goat tags. For everyone else, here's the full picture.
Visual Tags vs Electronic Tags: What's the Difference?
Australian sheep ear tags come in two broad types: visual tags you read by eye, and electronic tags a reader scans. Plenty of producers run both, and which one you're required to use depends on your state and where the electronic ID transition is up to, more on that below.
Visual (VID) sheep tags
A visual tag, sometimes called a VID tag, is the classic coloured plastic ear tag. It's printed with your Property Identification Code (PIC), and you can add custom numbering or management info on top. You read it the old-fashioned way: in the race, in the yards, or close enough in the paddock.
Visual tags have done the heavy lifting in sheep identification for decades, and they're not going anywhere as a management tool. They're simple, low cost per head, and the year-of-birth colour means you can age a mob at a glance from across the yards.
What visual tags do well:
- Mob and age ID: the colour tells you the drop year instantly
- Custom printing: stud numbers, management codes, ram syndicate marks
- Low cost at volume: tagging big mobs without big spend
- No gear required: no reader, no software, no batteries
Electronic (EID) sheep tags
An electronic tag, usually called an EID tag, carries a tiny chip that stores a unique number for that animal. Wave it past a panel reader or handheld wand and the number comes up instantly: no catching, no squinting at faded print. That number ties the animal to the NLIS database, which is how movements are tracked between properties, saleyards and processors.
Sheep EID tags are small and light, much smaller than a cattle button, and most have the number printed on the outside as well, so you're not flying blind when there's no reader handy.
What EID tags do well:
- Individual ID for life: every sheep carries its own unique number
- Fast, accurate scanning: in the race, at the saleyard, at the works
- Pairs with gear: weigh scales, auto-drafters and recording software can use the EID number
- Compliance: electronic tagging is what the national system is moving to for sheep and goats
Quick comparison
| Visual (VID) tag | Electronic (EID) tag | |
|---|---|---|
| Read by | Eye | Reader or wand (number printed too) |
| Identifies | The mob / drop year | The individual animal |
| Cost per tag | Lower | Higher |
| Best for | Age and mob ID, on-farm management | Movement compliance, individual recording |
| Needs equipment | No | Reader for scanning (saleyards and processors have their own) |
For a deeper look at how electronic tags work and what to consider before you buy, our sheep EID tags guide covers it properly.
Sheep Tag Colours: The Year System in Brief
Sheep tags follow a national year-colour rotation. Each year has its own colour, lambs are tagged in the colour of their birth year, and the colours cycle so the same one only comes back around after the previous lot have well and truly left the flock.
| Year | Colour |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Black |
| 2025 | White |
| 2026 | Orange |
| 2027 | Light Green |
So lambs born in 2026 wear orange, and your 2025-drop ewes are in white. Pink sits outside the rotation, it's commonly used when sheep are tagged away from their property of birth.
That's the short version. For the full colour cycle, what each colour means and how to order the right one, read our complete guide to sheep ear tag colours in Australia. If you've just got a quick colour question, the sheep tag colours FAQ covers the ones we get asked most.
The Move to Electronic Tags: What It Means for You
Australia is shifting sheep and goat identification from mob-based visual tagging to individual electronic tagging. In plain English: instead of a mob being identified by a printed visual tag and the accompanying paperwork, each animal will carry its own electronic number that gets scanned as it moves through the supply chain.
A few things worth knowing:
- The rules are phasing in, not flicking over overnight. Requirements generally start with new lambs and work through the flock over a number of years.
- Timing differs by state. Each state is running its own implementation schedule, so what applies on your place depends on where you farm. Check with your state's agriculture department for the current requirements, and be careful taking deadline advice from interstate mates, because their dates probably aren't yours.
- Your visual tags don't become useless. Colour still earns its keep for ageing and mob management. Many producers run an EID tag for compliance and keep using year colours the way they always have.
- Readers are part of the picture, but not necessarily yours. Saleyards and processors do most of the scanning. An on-farm reader starts to make sense when you want to use the data yourself for weighing, drafting or performance recording.
If you've got questions, which sheep need them first, what happens with older ewes, whether you need to buy a reader, our sheep EID tag FAQ answers the ones we hear most often.
Choosing Sheep Tags by Mob Size and Use
There's no single right tag, it depends on how many sheep you run and what you need the tags to do. Here's how we'd think about it.
Big commercial mobs
At scale, speed and retention matter most. You want tags that apply fast, stay in, and don't slow the marking team down. The most common setup would be EID tags where your state requires them, with year-colour visual tags if you want at-a-glance ageing on top.
Tag retention matters more at volume too, retagging 3% of 2,000 ewes is a much bigger job than 3% of 50. We supply Allflex sheep tags, which are the most widely used tags in Australian sheep flocks, and they're built for exactly this kind of work.
Stud breeders and smaller flocks
When individual animals matter, studs, breeding programs, performance recording, individual ID is the priority. Custom-printed visual tags with individual numbers are the traditional approach, and pairing them with EID tags means your scanning gear and your eyes are reading the same animal.
If you're custom printing, think about what you'll actually want to read in the yards in five years: a clear individual number usually beats cramming three lines of code onto a small tag.
Hobby farms and lifestyle blocks
Keep it simple. If your sheep never leave the property, your tagging needs are minimal, but the moment one heads to the saleyard, the show, or a mate's place, it needs an NLIS-accredited tag carrying your PIC. The most common option for a small flock is a pack of the current year colour, plus EID where your state requires it.
If you're unsure what you need, send us a photo of your current tags and your state, and we can point you in the right direction.
Running goats as well? Goats follow their own version of the same system, our goat ear tags and EID guide covers it.
Applicators: A Quick Word
Sheep tags need a matching applicator, and "matching" is the bit people get wrong. Each tag style suits a specific applicator or pin, and the wrong pairing is the fast way to bent pins, half-closed tags and torn ears.
Three quick rules:
- Match the applicator to the tag type and brand. Don't assume the cattle applicator in the shed will close a small sheep EID tag, check before marking day, not during it.
- One-piece and two-piece tags load differently. Know which you've got and practise a couple before the mob is in the race.
- Placement matters as much as gear. A well-matched applicator in the wrong part of the ear still costs you tags. Our step-by-step tag installation guide shows correct position for sheep, cattle and goats.
For the full breakdown of which applicator suits which tag, see our ear tag applicator guide, and you'll find applicators and spare pins in our applicators and accessories range.
Ordering Sheep Tags: What You Need to Know
Ordering is straightforward once you know what you're after. Have these details ready:
- PIC: your Property Identification Code, printed on NLIS tags
- Tag type: visual, EID, or both
- Year colour: based on the drop year of the lambs you're tagging
- Print details: any custom numbering or management info
- Quantity: count the mob, then add a few percent for spares and losses
A few ordering notes worth knowing:
- Tags ship from Queensland with Australia-wide delivery, so build a bit of lead time into your marking plans rather than ordering the week you need them.
- Sheep and goat EID tags are stocked from January. If you're planning an order outside that window, get in touch and we'll sort out timing with you.
- Custom printing adds production time. Plain stock tags are quickest; printed runs take longer, so order printed tags well ahead of marking.
Browse NLIS sheep and goat ear tags for visual tags, or the sheep and goat EID range for electronic tags and gear.
FAQ
What colour are sheep ear tags in 2026?
Orange. Lambs born in 2026 are tagged orange, the 2025 drop is white, and 2027 will be light green. The colour matches the animal's year of birth, not the year you happen to buy the tags.
Do all sheep need ear tags in Australia?
Any sheep leaving a property needs an NLIS-accredited tag carrying the PIC of the property it's leaving, saleyard, processor, agistment or a private sale down the road. Sheep that live out their days on your place aren't moving through the system, but tagging them anyway makes management far easier. Whether you need a visual or electronic tag depends on your state as the EID rules phase in.
Are EID tags and NLIS tags the same thing for sheep?
They overlap. NLIS is the national identification system, and tags used in it are NLIS-accredited. Traditionally sheep NLIS used visual tags printed with the PIC; EID tags are the electronic version. So a sheep EID tag is an NLIS tag, just one a reader can scan.
Which ear do sheep tags go in?
Position within the ear matters most: middle of the ear, between the two ridges of cartilage, clear of the veins. Some states have guidance on which side for certain tag types, so follow your state's advice if it specifies one. Get the placement right and the tag stays in for life.
Can I put cattle tags in sheep?
No, cattle tags are too big and heavy for sheep ears and will tear out. Use tags made for sheep, applied with the matching applicator.
TL;DR: Quick Reference
- Visual (VID) tags = coloured tags read by eye; best for age and mob ID
- EID tags = electronic tags scanned by a reader; one unique number per sheep, linked to the NLIS database
- 2026 colour is orange: year colour matches year of birth; pink is commonly used for sheep tagged away from their property of birth
- Electronic tagging is phasing in and timing differs by state, check your state's agriculture department for what applies to you
- Match the applicator to the tag: wrong pairing means lost tags and torn ears
- Tags ship from Queensland; sheep and goat EID tags are stocked from January
- We supply Allflex sheep tags with custom printing available
Need a Hand Picking Sheep Tags?
Not sure which tags fit your setup? Send through your state, mob size and what you're currently using, or just a photo of your existing tags, and we'll point you in the right direction. Call 0431 183 421 or email farmandacreco@gmail.com.
Ready to order? Start with our EID sheep and goat tags.