It’s one of the most common and costliest threats facing Australian farmers – but stock theft could soon be on the decline with the help of a new digital defence.

University of New England (UNE) criminologists have recently conducted a world-first trial to test the crime prevention capability of a new smart solar-powered animal ear tag developed in Australia by Queensland agricultural technology company Ceres Tag.

“Stock theft remains a huge problem in rural communities, as demonstrated in the results of The NSW Farm Crime Survey in 2020,” says Co-Director of the UNE Centre for Rural Criminology, Dr Kyle Mulrooney.

This trial was also covered by ABC radio which you can check out below. To read more about the trial, follow the link here.