Australia’s sheep herd down 6.2% after two years of

Australia’s sheep herd down 6.2% after two years of difficult conditions

06/10/2025

Promotions body Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) has given a mid-year figure of 74.2 million head for the country’s sheep herd. It said this represented a fall of 6.2% year on year.
“Australia’s sheep industry is navigating a challenging period,” MLA said.

It explained that this decline comes on the back of “two years of below-average seasonal conditions” in key producing regions, particularly in South Australia, Victoria and southern New South Wales. MLA said this driven elevated lamb slaughter.

Lamb slaughter is expected to reach 24.9 million head in 2025, a 5.8% decline from last year’s figure, which was a record.

Australia’s sheep herd down 6.2% after two years of - leatherbiz: Lea

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Australia’s sheep herd down 6.2% after two years of difficult conditions