SOUTH Australia's lamb industry is in need of a new representative voice with two key producer groups folding in the past few months.
Despite record prices and unprecedented optimism in sheep and wool, the Sheep Industry Development Board, which had been looking at the 20 to 30-year strategic direction of the industry, and more recently the SA Lamb Development Team - with a more operational focus - being disbanded.
But a solution could be near with the SA Sheep Advisory Group allocating funding for a consultant to deliver an action plan on a number of key areas, including the benefit of an overarching industry group.
The group's chairman Ian Pfeiffer said SA was now void of groups representing the State's lamb producers and, by default, SASAG was performing the role of a peak body for the industry.
He said since the advisory group was ministerially appointed - rather than by industry - it was not its role to direct policy, but rather set priorities for investment of SIF.
Mr Pfeiffer said the South Australian Farmers' Federation no longer had a livestock executive officer to convey the views of its members.
A solution could be near, however, with SASAG appointing an external consultant to deliver an action plan, providing a summary profile of the SA sheep industry, identifying key objectives and priority areas of investment of the Sheep Industry Fund and providing options and recommendations regarding appropriate leadership and governance.
"The direction of the sheep industry has been floundering for a while but with the SCA releasing its industry directive for 2010 to 2015, we thought it was fitting to get an action plan for SA," he said. "One answer may be to create a structure with an overriding industry board which also develops policy in the right direction."
Mr Pfeiffer said key stakeholders and producers would be asked to provide input into the project during coming months and was hopeful industry would use the action plan to assess the cost-benefit of ongoing projects supported by SIF.
"While it seems so easy with the industry on a high and making a lot of money, now is the time to underpin the foundations for a sustainable industry - whether that is biosecurity, market development, education and extension we need to prioritise these areas," he said.
"The fund is healthy and the projects are working, but it is about identifying the best way to utilise the fund and deliver maximum benefit to producers."
Mr Pfeiffer said the process of establishing a new peak sheep and lamb body for SA had been simplified because there were no existing groups which now need accommodating.
SIDB chairman Ben Ryan said its mission was to develop a 20-30-year strategic plan for the sheep industry. But he said because of the large number of sheep producers, it was hard to represent the views of all producers.
* Full report in Stock Journal, March 10 issue, 2011.
