Livestock species

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development supports the economic success of several livestock industries, in particular the beef, sheep, dairy and pork industries. There are just under 15 million sheep located primarily in the agricultural region, producing high quality meat and wool for world markets. The sheep meat market is worth $500 million, of which about half is for live exports with the remainder slaughtered locally, and a further $500 million comes from wool exports.

Of the two million head of beef cattle, approximately half are located in the south west (mainly for local slaughter) and the remainder in the north (mainly for live export). Total value of the beef industry is $517 million per year. The dairy industry, worth $140 million per year, is located in the high rainfall south west region and has internationally competitive production costs.

The pork industry is primarily located in the northern and central agricultural regions, with a total value of $130 million per year of which approximately 20% comes from exports to Singapore. The poultry industry has 8.5 million birds and is mainly focused on the domestic market for both eggs ($60 million) and chicken meat ($130 million).

Other livestock species that are farmed but make a relatively small contribution to the total value of the livestock industry include goats and alpacas.

Articles

  • The stickfast flea, first recorded in Western Australia (WA) at Geraldton in 1913, is now a common disease in backyard poultry flocks, especially during summer.

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

  • A summer drenching program for sheep worm control is now recognised as a key cause of drench resistance in Western Australia.

  • Body lice (Bovicola ovis) infestation can occur on fleece-shedding and haired sheep, causing irritation and rubbing. Some exotic diseases also cause skin irritation to sheep. Before treati

  • 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.

  • To make sure that any chemical application doesn’t leave you short on protection or break your withholding periods,  the Flystrike Assist application (mobile app for iOS and Android) has been devel

  • Flystrike is a significant health and welfare risk to Australian sheep and costs $280 million annually.

  • Itch mites are small, barely visible parasites of sheep; they live on the skin surface and cause rubbing and fleece chewing in a small proportion of infested animals.

  • When the prevalence of sheep lice is high as it is in Western Australia at the present time, there is a greater probability that lice will be present in any flock.

  • Barber's pole worm (Haemonchus contortus) is a potentially harmful roundworm parasite of sheep which can cause a disease called haemonchosis.