AUSTRALIA’S biggest sheep industry conference, LambEx, will hold its 2026 event on 8-10 July at the Adelaide Convention Centre in South Australia, it was announced today.

28 National chair Kerry Harris encouraged sheep producers, and all others involved or interested in the sheep industry from around the nation and beyond to save the date.

“The feedback from those that attended the revived LambEx last year was very positive with almost four out of every five attendees indicating they were likely to return because of their experience at LambEx 2024 in Adelaide,” Ms Harris said.

28 National is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sheep Producers Australia and responsible for the LambEx brand.

Sheep Producers Australia chief executive officer Bonnie Skinner said the industry had been buoyed by the success of LambEx 2024 and looked forward to July 2026.

Australia’s lamb industry leads the world in innovation and quality.

“LambEx provides an amazing platform to showcase our sector on both a national and international stage,” Ms. Skinner said.

“Sheep Producers Australia was proud to work on getting LambEx back on to the industry calendar last year, and we are committed to supporting its continued success in 2026.”

Ms Harris said 28 National was very thankful to both the Australian and South Australian Governments for their support of LambEx.

LambEx was successfully revived in August last year after a six-year hiatus. A record 1400 industry participants attended LambEx 2024 at the Adelaide Convention Centre. Attendees represented the fields of sheep production, processing, retailing, innovation, science, education and government among others.

South Australia’s Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development Clare Scriven said LambEx is an event that appeals strongly to industry participants from around Australia as well as overseas.

“Almost two-thirds of attendees at LambEx 2024 held last August came from outside of South Australia with 25 percent from New South Wales and 18pc from Victoria while 5pc or nearly 70 attendees were from overseas,” Minister Scriven said.

“Importantly, LambEx 2024 provided a significant economic contribution to South Australia of almost $3.5 million and we expect, off the back of this success, for the 2026 event to deliver even bigger economic returns to our state’s economy.

Heinrich to lead LambEx taskforce

Lambex 2026 taskforce members Emma McCrabb. Ashlee Wachtel, Mark Ferguson and Nathan Scott.

A new skills-based LambEx taskforce also announced by 28 National for the 2026 event.

The LambEx 2026 taskforce will be chaired by Jamie Heinrich, a 7th-generation South Australian sheep farmer, co-owner and manager of Ella Matta Pastoral on Kangaroo Island. Jamie also chairs Agriculture Kangaroo Island and serves as a director of Sheep Producers Australia, 28 National, and the Australian Sheep Sustainability Framework, and is a member of the Meat and Livestock Australia board selection committee.

The other members of the taskforce are South Australian-based animal health consultant Ashlee Wachtel, South Australian agriculture sector training coordinator Chloe Smart, Rabobank agribusiness manager Dan Korff, NSW Riverina-based sheep producer Emma McCrabb, neXtgen Agri co-founder and director Mark Ferguson, Victorian sheep industry consultant Nathan Scott, Milne Feeds WA Sales Manager Paul Nenke, Fleurieu Peninsula sheep producer and Nuffield scholar Sammy McIntyre, and Victorian Western District sheep producer Tim Leeming.