R&D update
Australian scientists helping the environment through Australian Merino sheep
The ‘Green Merino’, a much more productive sheep with a lower environmental impact, could be one of the hidden benefits to emerge from Australia’s current drought.
Researchers at the Australian Sheep Industry Cooperative Research Centre (Sheep CRC) are perfecting a technology that could significantly reduce the impact of sheep on the landscape - while providing better returns to growers.
“Worldwide, consumers are demanding that all forms of farm production become more ‘green’ - and Australia’s wool industry is perfectly poised to earn that accolade,” says Sheep CRC CEO Professor James Rowe.
“The secret lies in the fact that one sheep is much more productive than another - and if we can select only the most productive to breed from, we can in future run fewer, more profitable sheep with a reduced environmental impact.”
Technology devised by the Sheep CRC is enabling commercial woolgrowers to confidently pinpoint the most profitable sheep in their flock for the first time in history and make the right decisions when choosing which to keep and which to cull.
This remarkable technology highlights Australian woolgrowers’ commitment to the environment and to producing the world’s highest quality wool.
For more information on research and development projects undertaken by the Australian wool industry, please visit: www.sheepcrc.org.au or www.wool.com.au