Developed in collaboration with industry, the technology — called eBale — is the culmination of nearly 25 years of research by the Australian Wool Exchange to ensure it is robust and fit-for-purpose for the entire value chain.
Elevation of traceability as a priority for agriculture meant eBale received support from the Federal Government’s Traceability Grants Program to assist with industry integration.
AWEX chief executive officer Mark Grave said the rollout of eBale technology would ensure Australian wool led the world in provenance from the farm to the retailer.
“We are confident that the technology will help meet traceability and biosecurity needs, as well as assist in improving logistics efficiencies and quality control through the supply chain,” Mr Grave said.
Each eBale has a unique number stored on a Radio Frequency Identification chip and as a QR code.
Wool data is captured on-farm through the WoolClip program, which is electronically transferred to the selling agent via the eBale RFID chip and QR code.
The eBale will facilitate information transfer in warehouses, logistics and transport, and by domestic and international processing customers.
AWEX — with the support of industry — has committed to securing five million eBales for the Australian wool market, a provision for up to three years of wool production.
The introduction of the technology will cost 60 cents a pack. eBales will be commercially available to wool growers in the first half of 2023 and by July, all packs imported will be eBale packs. People will be able to use their old packs as the industry transitions to eBales.
Full implementation of eBale has been welcomed by industry.
“Traceability is becoming increasingly important to the market and rolling out the eBale across all wool packs is an exciting development that will benefit wool growers and the broader industry,” Australian Wool Innovation chief executive officer John Roberts said.
WoolProducers chief executive officer Jo Hall said it demonstrated the Australian wool industry’s commitment to integrity and quality, which would strengthen its reputation into the future.
“It is a small investment to improve the safe and efficient management of wool through the supply chain, and by the end of 2023, it will be a key differentiator for Australian wool globally,” she said.
11°C