The Future Flock: Sheep producers to help shape industry’s future

Australia’s sheep industry is at a turning point - and producers are being asked to help write the next chapter.  

Sheep Producers Australia (SPA) today launched the development of The Future Flock, a national strategy designed to guide the sheepmeat and wool sector through change and set a profitable, resilient direction for decades to come. 

SPA Chief Executive Officer Bonnie Skinner said the project came at a time when producers were juggling volatile markets and regulatory changes, climate and biosecurity pressures, shifting consumer expectations – all while working to maintain profitability in a complex global environment.  

 “The Future Flock is an industry first approach to unite sheepmeat and wool, combine it with economics and create a vision for everyone that will guide the sector for decades to come,” she said 

“Getting behind one plan – as an industry – provides clarity and confidence when we are making important long-term decisions that drive industry profit, sustainability within the sector and investment. Without a plan we react to challenges, with a strategy we shape our own future.”

Building on experience from leading the Sheep Industry Strategic Plans (1995–2020), SPA is committed to working in partnership to ensure The Future Flock provides the same sector-wide focus and measurable results.  

 What The Future Flock will do: 

• Unite national and state priorities: A single national framework supported by state-specific pathways - including a WA Roadmap developed with the WA Strategic Steering Group and WA stakeholders.
• Put producers and industry at the centre: Workshops, field days and industry events will capture grass-roots experience from producers and input from service providers such as livestock agents, processors, transporters and consultants.
• Test ideas supported by economic analysis: Evidence-based modelling will back decisions with numbers that stack up commercially and deliver value at the farmgate.
• Leverage what exists: Using consultations and strategies already developed by industry groups, avoiding duplication and accelerating action.
• Deliver a living plan: An interactive, evolving roadmap with strong governance and clear accountability. 

SPA is also calling on producers, processors, state farming organisations and supply chains to get involved. Expressions of Interest (EOI) to join the National Panel - to oversee The Future Flock – has opened and surveys are live on The Future Flock website.  

Consultations will kick off later this year, with producers able to have their say at workshops, sales, field days and online forums. The Future Flock will be released at LambEx in Adelaide, South Australia next year. 

This is a co-investment between the Australian Government and Sheep Producers Australia. The Future Flock will be delivered in conjunction with a dedicated WA Roadmap to 2028. 

To read Bonnie Skinner, CEO, Sheep Producers Australia opinion click here.