Sheep

The key products of the Western Australian sheep industry are wool, sheepmeat (lamb and mutton) and live sheep. At around 12.4 million sheep, the WA flock turns off between 4.5 and 6 million sheep and lambs for meat and live export as well as 65 million kilograms of greasy wool (primarily for export markets) annually.

The Merino is the most common breed of sheep in WA, making up 80% of the state's flock. The remainder are ‘British breeds’ or so-called maternal breeds, meat specific breeds such as Dorpers and some breeds for specialty meat and fibre markets.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development's current focus is on increasing lamb supply, improving the productivity, welfare and sustainability of sheep production and developing and extending targeted information products and services to generate practice change. In an effort to increase the marking rate of lambs, the department, in collaboration with industry, has developed the More Sheep initiative.

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Articles

  • State Barrier Fence with the installation of lap wire which has upgraded the fence to wild dog standard

    State Barrier Fence overview

    16 January 2014

    The Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 (BAM Act) provides the authority for regulations to be made for the erection and maintenance of barrier fences as a means of controlling

  • Photo caption: The Pasture condition guide for the Kimberley includes information for pastoralists on the 17 most common pasture types throughout the Kimberley.

    Pasture condition guide for the Kimberley, Western Australia

    27 March 2014

    This pasture condition guide can be used from the web pages or by downloading the linked documents.

  • Katanning sheep sale yards

    Opportunities for individual sheep management in Western Australia

    12 March 2018

    Sheep managers can use electronic identification (EID) technology and automatic readers to manage individual sheep in a flock.

  • A mob of sheep has been yarded with the closest sheep having visible areas of pulled wool over the entire fleece but very apparent in the flank area.

    Prevent sheep lice with biosecurity and planning

    6 December 2013

    Sheep farmers can save money and time eradicating new lice infestations by taking simple biosecurity measures that become part of normal management programs.

  • Example screens from the iPad app 'Sheep Condition Score'.

    Tools, calculators and resources for sheep and grazing management

    15 November 2013

    These tools, calculators and resources are designed to help producers manage their ewe flock more effectively and make better management decisions about feed budgeting and grazing.

  • Position of the hand on the sheeps back for condition scoring sheep. The thumb should be placed on the backbone and the fingers feeling the short ribs.

    Condition scoring of sheep

    29 October 2013

    Condition scoring sheep is an easy and accurate method of estimating the condition or 'nutritional well being' of your sheep flock.

  • Lucilia cuprina - the main species of blowfly that initiates about 90% of all strikes is the Australian sheep blowfly

    Managing non-mulesed sheep

    5 December 2013

    The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) has been involved in a variety of research projects to help producers manage non mulesed sheep.

  • Merino ewes grazing

    Optimising sheep flock structure

    19 September 2019

    Selling or changing breeding numbers can have a profound impact on the on-going structure of the flock.  It is important to determine the changes to the flock over many years to understand the impa

  • Sheep flock composition calculator

    3 October 2019

    Use this tool to determine the impact on flock structure over six years of changes made to retaining or selling classes of sheep or changing the weaning ratio.

  • Young Merino lambs waiting to be marked.

    Setting up your sheep enterprise

    25 November 2013

    The way the sheep enterprise is managed, including infrastructure and the pasture system, will influence the profitability of the enterprise and be reflected in the cost of production and the labou

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