SPURRED on by a rise in enquiries to invest in the camel industry, the state government has moved to ease its growth.
A 90-day project between Primary Industries and Regions SA and the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources studied potential obstacles for the industry and released a draft set of guidelines earlier this year.
The final document will be released later this year.
PIRSA executive director Daniel Casement said there was an increasing interest in the industry, particularly from overseas investors.
"Interest has been growing from the early to mid 2000s and we've continued to explore and consider what opportunities there are," he said.
"It has reached a point where we want to consider it intently."
The guidelines provide advice for those in pastoral areas looking to change their stock species, in line with the Native Vegetation Regulation and the Pastoral Land Management and Conservation Act.
Any move between species requires an approved management plan to avoid land degradation.
The document maps out the approval process for potential investors.
Mr Casement said the project was based on genuine interest and should give some confidence to those considering entering the industry.
"The dairy camel industry is a high-value industry. Camel meat has significant opportunities in overseas markets," he said.
"There is interest to sell into high-end markets in the United States, the Middle East or Africa."
Mr Casement said overseas investor interest did not necessarily mean land acquisition but could provide opportunities for existing pastoral properties in leasing arrangements or partnerships.
He said there were many reasons why this industry could work well in SA, including proximity to the bulk of the camel herd and road networks that supported mustering and transport.
"We would essentially be using a feral camel herd for a high-value industry so it would be creating economic opportunities while reducing the environmental impacts of the feral herd," he said.
He said the camel industry had already made some in-roads in SA.
The Samex abattoir at Peterborough processes camel meat, and Mr Casement saw potential for it to grow.
The abattoir had developed a strong US market and exported more than 300 tonnes annually.
Samex Peterborough director Gary Marriott said in the four years since the abattoir began processing camel meat, he had seen a rise in interest, although it was only slight.
"There are a lot more farmers showing interest in camels as a food source," he said.
He said interest at the moment was in camel milk, but this had the potential to switch to meat.
The meatworks does a steady trade in camel meat, with 99 per cent bound for export markets.
Mr Marriott said the domestic market was small but expected it to expand with consistency of supply.
He said the primary supply came from the North East and North West Pastoral, and Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands where they provided an additional source of income instead of culling.
Vic sale reflects SA market
AGENT Andrew Wilson, Andrew Wilson Co, Echuca, Vic, is preparing for the sale of 200 camels at Shepparton, Vic, on May 30.
Mr Wilson has been dealing with camels for almost 30 years and conducted sales for the past decade.
In that time, he has seen interest in the species grow.
Initial interest was from people looking for pets or weed control but Andrew says there is more commercial interest lately.
He thinks part of that is because of camel milk.
"There is a lot of interest in dairy camels," Mr Wilson said.
"I think it's going to be the new thing - a super food.
"Time will tell but it's looking good at the moment."
He said camels were primarily sourced from NT and SA, with buyers coming from Vic, Qld and SA.
Last year, camel cows and calves made up to $2000 at the sale.