Livestock & animals

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development supply chain support, research and development and rigorous biosecurity systems underpin the economic success of Western Australia’s livestock industries. In 2011/12, the WA livestock industries contributed 26% of the state’s agriculture, fisheries and forestry production, worth approximately $2 billion at the farm gate.

WA is a world leader in live exports, super fine wool production and dryland sheep and grain systems. Both cattle and sheep systems are focused on export markets to Asia and the Middle East. WA also has innovative, world-class integrated dairy and pork industries meeting local and South East Asian demand for safe, fresh milk and pork. The WA poultry industry is growing strongly as a result of increasing domestic consumption.

Global demand for high-quality, safe animal protein and products produced according to high animal welfare standards will continue to rise in coming years. Increasingly DAFWA will partner with industry -- locally, nationally and internationally -- in transformational business projects to capitalise on this demand.

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Articles

  • Nutrition and feed additives to reduce methane emissions from sheep

    18 October 2013

    Improved grazing and feeding management of sheep can reduce methane emissions per unit of product (feed efficiency) or emissions per unit of feed intake (methane yield).

  • Truck transporting sheep off a property

    Agisting livestock

    20 February 2018

    Agistment is an option for removing livestock from a property, for a number of reasons – after a fire, when paddock feed is inadequate, to spell pastures, or to finish livestock for sale on better

  • Photograph of covered effluent pond for collecting methane as part of manure management in a piggery

    Managing manure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

    13 November 2013

    Managing manure to reduce emissions can be economically viable for larger enterprises or cooperative facilities that use the captured methane to generate heat and electricity.

  • Canola and wheat growing in Western Australia

    Climate-ready agriculture in Western Australia

    21 March 2016

    All agricultural industries in Western Australia will need to deal with some level of climate change in the coming decades. The effects of climate change will vary regionally and by enterprise, wit

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    Dry times in the rangelands

    4 November 2013

    DAFWA provides data and information on current season through its network of automatic weather stations and seasonal climate forecasts through the Statistical Climate Information system.

  • Cattle standing in pastoral area

    Season 2020: agricultural & pastoral information

    31 October 2019

    2019 leading into 2020 has been a difficult season for many farmers and pastoralists throughout Western Australia, with variable rainfall impacting on production and profitability.

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    Assessing sheep after a fire

    22 February 2018

    Sheep are common victims of fires in Australia. The information below describes how fire may affect sheep and the management options landholders have.

  • Project graphic

    Carbon farming fact sheet - managing stocking rate to reduce carbon emissions in sheep

    18 October 2013

    About 80% of the variation in methane production is explained by feed intake. Reducing the stocking rate of sheep on the farm reduces the pasture consumption and methane production per hectare.

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