Lamb Production

Australian sheep producers care says Sheep CRC survey

Sheep Central January 28, 2015
First cross ewes with lambs in the Shelford trial

First cross ewes with lambs in the Shelford trial

Sheep producers are queueing up to help improve animal well-being standards on Australian farms.

The Sheep CRC today reported that a recent survey has shown Australian sheep producers genuinely care for the health and well-being of their animals and invest heavily in farm management practices.

“But protecting animals from threats to their health and well-being in extensive operating environments remains a major logistical challenge,” Sheep CRC chief executive Professor James Rowe said.

The survey is a first step to improve our knowledge in this area and to identify new methods to improve well-being standards on Australian farms, he said.

Producers volunteering for focus groups

A number of the producer respondents have also volunteered to participate in focus groups over coming months to examine in more detail the issues identified in the survey. Locations and dates for focus group meetings have not been finalised.

The Sheep CRC is still accepting inquiries from anyone interested in participating in the focus groups. The Sheep CRC said there had been an overwhelming response from farmers, scientists and consumers to the sheep industry survey, that questioned attitudes and practices relating to animal well-being.

More than 1530 responses were received to the survey conducted over recent weeks by the Animal Welfare Science Centre (AWSC) and the Cooperative Research Centre for Sheep Industry Innovation (Sheep CRC) in conjunction with the University of Melbourne and Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA).

The producer section of the survey was designed to identify how producers currently monitor wellbeing or identify animals needing treatment or care.

“As has been demonstrated by the high response rate to this survey, animal wellbeing is of utmost importance to the Australian sheep industry,” Professor Rowe said.

Well-being program has profit aim

The Sheep CRC is a collaboration of industry and government with the aim of increasing the productivity and profitability of the industry through the utilisation of new technologies in the meat and wool supply chains.

Its animal well-being research program aims to develop new risk management information, automated animal monitoring and data management systems to support pro-active management decisions. The data from the survey will be analysed over coming weeks and used to fine-tune the Sheep CRC’s research in this area.

“Further improving wellbeing standards will require a significant investment, which the industry is making to ensure that Australian sheep are provided with enhanced levels of care and protection,” Prof. Rowe said.

  • More positions are available for producers interested in participating in the Sheep Wellbeing focus groups. Producers wishing to volunteer should contact Janelle Holzberger at the Sheep CRC on (02) 6773 2927 or email[email protected].

More information about the Sheep CRC’s animal well-being research program is available at www.sheepcrc.org.au

Source: SheepCRC

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