Sheep Farming

In an interview with Stateline WA, Agriculture Minister Murray Watt insists the federal government's $107 million transition package is "significant", but says discussions will continue with the state government to determine what is needed. 

Rob Egerton-Warburton, who has farmed for nearly 30 years running 20,000 merino sheep in the industry's WA heartland, says now that the live export ban is legislated the industry should look to fresh opportunities to survive.

Laws to phase out Australia's live sheep export trade by 2028 pass parliament, despite last-ditch attempts by opponents to put the brakes on the legislation.

Prices for kelpies have soared to record highs in recent times and for Peter Austin, of Blackbutt in Queensland, it is the perfect time to call it a day after breeding dogs for Japan, the US, Canada, and Mexico, in addition to Australia.

The South Australian RSPCA receives an influx of livestock welfare reports, with some animals starving to death.

A federal inquiry into the government's plan to ban the live export of sheep from Western Australia backs the bill in its initial report handed down on Friday and calls for more funding for the industry. 

Populations in WA’s Wheatbelt have long been in decline because of a shrinking agricultural workforce. Local communities fear the impending live sheep export ban may be the final blow.

Sheep farmers are fighting to keep the live export industry going, as a parliamentary inquiry delves into the looming ban on the trade.

Ian Rowett's sheep stud at Marrabel is the second farm in South Australia to have recorded a sextuplet lamb birth this year, an event vets say is "incredibly rare".

WA farmers impacted by the proposed ban have had their say in Northam today, after a Canberra hearing heard from animal activists and industry leaders earlier this week.

South Australian farmers are banking on late winter rain to save their season but optimism is flagging as dry conditions continue.

Forget the Paris Olympics, two young people from the Australian sheep industry have claimed prizes at the World Young Shepherds competition held in France.

Lloyd Castle's farm usually gets slightly more rain than a desert, but whatever falls he records and shares the data with the BOM.

Once a rare sight in a shearing shed, women are now working alongside men in one of the toughest jobs in the country. Here's why that's very good news for the industry. 

Hundreds of trucks descend on Perth in a protest against the Albanese government's decision to end the live sheep trade.

Some producers fear potential fee hikes at the Dubbo Regional Livestock Market as privatisation is considered by council.

With the likely end to live sheep exports out of Western Australia, people right along the state's supply chain are contemplating how the future of sheep production will look.

Farmers from the sheep and wool industries argue a decision made with animal welfare in mind will ultimately lead to worse outcomes for the animals and the people directly impacted.

Australian sheep farmers say they're angry after a live export ban, looming for years, has been confirmed.

Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt says the transition is "orderly and considered", while the Nationals are vowing to reverse the ban if the coalition wins the next election.

After years of continuous drought, record rain has transformed the Nullarbor region. For pastoralists, it means livestock can finally return to their properties. 

The 31-year-old NSW shearer has set the first Australian women's merino shearing record for the most ewes shorn in an eight-hour period.

Until recently, these Victorian farmers could control wild dogs or dingoes but a recent rule change means they can no longer keep the predators at bay. 

Tasmania's Waverley Woollen Mills survived the Great Depression, both world wars and several near-closures. Can Australia's oldest continuously operating textile mill spin onwards into the next century?

Trialling sheepdogs in Australia has a long history, with many competitors travelling year-round to compete at rural and remote events, and for others it's their "getaway from the farm".