Sheep CRC

Summary

The Sheep CRC was established to deliver transformational changes to the sheep industry through breeding well adapted sheep, developing new quality control systems for comfortable next-to-skin knitwear and ensuring lamb production includes the appropriate balance for improved lean meat yield and eating quality for consumers.

The CRC is a collaboration of 21 Participant organisations representing all sectors of the Australian sheep industry:

Producers and producer groups, represented by the Sheepmeat Council and by WoolProducers Australia;
the Rural R&D corporations, represented by MLA, AWI and AMPC, as major investors contributing over $21M cash over the seven years of the program;
researchers from universities (UNE, Murdoch, Deakin, UTAS and UWA) as well as State Departments of Primary Industry (NSW, WA, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania and South Australia) and CSIRO;
farm consultants, represented by (Hall & Co, MS&A and Holmes Sackett); and
companies, represented by Allfex and Australian Wool Testing Authority.
Over the seven year term, the CRC Participants contributed over $125 M through in-kind allocation of staff and provision of laboratories, farms, livestock and other facilities. Together with the cash investment of $64.4M the total budget for the program was $189.7M allocated across research, education and training. The estimated benefit to end-users from the CRC's programs associated with using the new technologies is $605M.

Benefits were delivered through;

improved on-farm productivity
the impact of new quality assurance systems for next-to-skin knitwear, and the anticipated effect on the demand for finer micron wools, and
through new technologies to support improved lean meat yield and increased eating quality.
The CRC's education program saw 37 new research professionals undertake postgraduate degrees and approximately 70% found jobs in the sheep and cattle industries which will contribute to their ongoing development after graduation. The CRC has also had considerable success in training agricultural consultants and developing partnership programs with private sector service providers to deliver new information and training to their clients.

The governance of the CRC via a skills-based Board has been a most successful mechanism to maintain clear focus on delivering the agreed Commonwealth outcomes, managing the expectations of our Participants and ensuring effective coordination of research and training activities.



B.SCC.0012 - CMA: To support supply chain engagement project

This Company Managed Activity (CMA) was established to purchase semen (at an agreed value of $10 per dose for R&D programs) and transport it to the practitioner contracted to undertake the AI program . Rams were selected based on divergence in carcase yield, eating quality and meat nutritional content. This CMA supported B.SCC.0010 - Supply chain engagement on yield, eating quality and nutritional content outcomes.