ONE year on from its launch, the South Australian Sheep Industry Blueprint is on track to deliver its overarching aim of a 20 per cent increase in productivity and value in the state’s sheep industry by 2020.
Blueprint Working Group Chairman Allan Piggott, Tailem Bend, said the Blueprint had “overwhelming” support from across the value chain since it was launched in April last year, which had helped it to make significant progress on its five key targets.
Record prices have helped drive interest and progression of the SA sheep and wool industries, with many producers reconsidering their enterprise mix to incorporate or increase the production of sheep.
Latest figures from PIRSA show in 2015-16 the state’s wool and sheepmeat industry gross revenue was $1.85 billion.
Mr Piggott said positivity surrounding the industry was helping to create strong momentum for growth.
“We currently have a fantastic situation for sheep and lambs,” he said. “The past year has delivered great productivity and prices for many across the value chain, with producers in particular benefitting from strong price rises for lamb and wool.
“Sheepmeat and wool is a billion-dollar industry in SA, and our challenge is to make that growth continue year-on-year, not just in years with favourable seasons and high prices.
“The Blueprint will help to underpin this growth and help the desired industry growth on a consistent basis.”
Mr Piggott said 16 projects had been instigated or supported so far through the Blueprint, from on-farm research such as development of real-time on-farm lice detection test to further along the value chain with the installation of hook tracking systems at JBS Australia’s Bordertown plant and objective carcase measurement.
Engagement with livestock consultants and advisers across SA to deliver additional Lifetime Ewe Management courses in SA remains a priority. Plans to develop a united value chain workforce were ongoing, with the sheep and wool industry currently employing 15,000 people across 7000 properties.
Mr Piggott said the Sheep Blueprint has been so successful that work had begun for the development of the South Australian Beef Cattle Industry Blueprint. The Cattle Blueprint also provides a natural progression with the involvement of the JS Davies Research Centre and the committee fulfilling the role of the SA Regional Committee of SAMRC.
“The Beef Blueprint will have a focus on collaborative value chains, consistently meeting consumer and community expectations and adoption of proven practices to increase productivity,” he said.
The Blueprint is an initiative of Livestock SA and South Australian Sheep Advisory Group and is supported by PIRSA and the University of Adelaide.
