Australia’s sheep industry is to be transformed by electronic technology that will revolutionise Australian farming systems. Graziers will be able to move from manual whole of flock management systems to precision management at the level of the individual sheep. The Co-operative Research Centre (CRC) for the Australian Sheep Industry says electronic sheep management, drought-resistant cereals and pre-emptive strikes on new diseases are all part of the next wave of technologies.

CRC for the Australian Sheep Industry’ s CEO, Professor James Rowe, said the result would be sharp increases in flock productivity – more wool, meat and fewer parasite and disease problems in sheep. Mr Rowe said the first step would be the use of radio ear tags, and linking them with race-side diagnostics, a central flock database and automated drafting.

He said the diagnostics could range from simple measures such as bodyweight, to on-the-spot fleece tests and parasite counts, allowing the classification and drafting of individual sheep.

The new information would also give the grazier the ability to sell forward over the internet, based on detailed information about his stock, their genetic background and individual histories. Productivity gain in the Australian sheep industry was currently less than 0.5 per cent, compared with 2.2 for cattle and 3.5 for broadacre agriculture, and Mr Rowe said electronics could unlock precision sheep production.

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