Advocating on behalf of producers with government and industry stakeholders, consulting with industry and sharing important information and solutions is the most important work of Sheep Producers Australia. As the national peak body, we look beyond state borders and jurisdictions and advocate on issues to enhance the productivity, profitability and sustainability of the sheepmeat sector..
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Our policy and advocacy vision can be summarised under three key objectives:
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Enabling producers to influence government policy and drive change in their industry
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Engaging with members to provide a united voice on national industry issues
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Solving emerging industry issues and advocating with contemporary science and farming knowledge.
​​Sheep Producers Australia has a Policy Council that operates as one unit with oversight over all policy matters. To discuss the Council's work please contact John McGoverne, Policy Advisor at Sheep Producers Australia at policy@sheepproducers.com.au.
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Given Australia's limited market, the ongoing viability of sheep production in Australia relies heavily on exports. Sheepmeat is one of Australia's largest agricultural export sectors, valued at $4.5bn in 2022-23. This represents a significant, resilient and consistent contribution to Australia's economy.
We export as much as 70% of our lamb, over 90% of our mutton and our key export markets include the US, China, Korea, Malaysia, the Middle East and North Africa region. Australia is also the world's largest exporter of wool.
Australia's market access is interlinked with our strong reputation for providing high quality, safe and consistent products. This reputation, and trust, has been earned through:
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our proven track record in animal health and food safety
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our world-leading livestock traceability system
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freedom from major livestock diseases and effective disease management
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strict animal welfare practices
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consistent and reliable, quality products.
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