Lamb chops (and changes): The rise of meat sheep in Southern Queensland

Traditionally in Queensland, Merinos have long been the backbone of the slowly declining sheep industry. However, recently emerging trends in AuctionsPlus data showcase the extent to which sheep and lamb breeds have shifted to more of a meat-breed preference. The combination of positive seasonal conditions paired with widespread uptake and effectiveness of exclusion fencing has driven a return to sheep production amongst Queensland producers. Across the 2021/22 financial year (FY22) southern Queensland sheep purchases doubled those made across the FY14-FY20 periods.

On a national scale, southern Queensland has registered the largest rise in sheep and lamb transactions on AuctionsPlus, as the sheep centric production region continues to re-stock its flock numbers. The significant traction of the flock rebuild is demonstrated in figure 1 where both listing and purchasing numbers have been on a steep upward trajectory across FY21-22.

Southern Queensland purchases in FY22 totalled 143,672 head (Figure 1) - a rise from 26,409 head in FY16. On a location specific basis, St George has secured the largest number for the financial year, at 23,700 head - a 158% increase on FY21. Victoria Hill and Dirranbandi rounded out the top 3 town purchases- up 432% and 52%, respectively.

While the Merino has traditionally been “King” and the dominant breed across the southern Queensland sheep flock, recent years have seen producers shift their enterprises toward other breeds of sheep. Recent barriers for the Merino industry including shearer and labour shortages, paired with a volatile wool market have contributed to an increased volume of meat-breed and crossbred sheep in Queensland. For the first time on AuctionsPlus, FY22 has seen shedding breed purchases overtake Merino purchases for the region. Shedding breed purchases surpassed Merinos by 10% with 46,900 head purchased - a 31% increase on FY21 (Figure 2).

Analysis into shedding breed purchases (Figure 3) revealed that wether lambs (23,304 head) and joined ewes (13,648 head) accounted for the majority of stock secured across the FY22 financial year as producers are driven by the high productivity, durability and frame in shedding sheep. While Merino breed purchases remain dominated by wether lambs accounting for 30-40% of purchases on average, although ewe purchases experienced a large decline in FY22 (Figure 4).