Sheep Supply Project – Open Tenders

01/10/2020

The Sheep Supply project will qualify the global demand for Australian sheep-meat and the potential opportunity for investing in programs that enable increased sheep-meat supply. The project will investigate the factors that are driving the national sheep flock decline and prioritise industry investment to accelerate the flock rebuild.

With the national flock currently around 63.7 million head, a 116 year low, this will form a critical part of the overall strategy. Flock decline has been heavily influenced by successive drought years in Northern Victoria and NSW resulting a regional decrease of seven million head over two years. This will lead to tighter lamb supply in 2020, forecast to be back 5 percent on 2019. As improved seasonal conditions triggers flock rebuilding efforts across the eastern states it is critical that producers have access to information regarding how to optimise flock rebuild based on their individual business circumstances.

The SPA Sheep Supply Project includes:

1. Global Demand Forecast 2030

2. Flock Decline Analysis

3. Qualitative Social Science Analysis

4. Data and Insight Analysis

Please follow the links for more information and forward to those you think would be great at investigating these industry challenges.

These current tenders are open:

1. Request for Tender: Investigating Flock Rebuild Strategies – MLA Oct 2020 

This terms of reference (TOR) is for a component of this wider project and is specifically focused on investigating flock rebuild strategies that enable producers to assess the most viable and economic flock recovery plan based on business goals, risk appetite and current flock base.

Applications to the tender should focus on the following specific parameters:

1. Evaluating and costing a series of flock rebuild options incorporating consideration of business goals, risk appetite and current flock base. This should include consideration of rebuild duration, capital resourcing requirements and cash flow analysis.

2. Investigating rebuild strategies by region, enterprise mix and flock type. The applicant may use a series of simulated or real case studies to inform the approach.

Applications to the tender could:

3. Assess barriers (technical, knowledge or support) to given rebuild strategies and identify recommendations to address these barriers.

2. Request for Tender: Sheep Supply Social Science – AHA Oct 2020

This terms of reference (TOR) is for a component of this wider project and is specifically focused on the social factors influencing decision making on-farm.

Farmer attitudes and behaviours are influenced by a range of economic, external, internal and social factors. A combination of factors that ultimately affect decision making and behaviours will be explored to identify ways to support farmers to make well informed business decisions that will drive the re-building of an Australian flock that is improved in health and profitability.

This project will provide a Qualitative Social Science Analysis, that will also explore the demographics of current and past sheep producers, providing an insight into attitude of producers at different points of their production career.

Collate current research and conduct a strategic industry survey to understand the emotional impact and human factors in business decisions. Results will be presented in a report to investigate and understand the qualitative social science aspect of the declining sheep flock and answer the questions: Why are farmers choosing other options instead of growing their sheep flock, from a social perspective? Why are producers moving away from sheep, even as global demand for sheep meat is increasing?

The report will provide insight, test assumptions and propose solutions to points such as:

• Understanding farmer attitudes and social factors

• Understanding the change in balance between sheep and other livestock enterprises

• Understanding the change in balance between sheep and cropping, and the range of factors that influence a shift out of livestock, or a change in emphasis for the enterprise

Please follow the links above for more information and forward to those you think would be great at investigating these industry challenges.