Enviro News Asia, Canberra – Australia’s wool and sheepmeat industries have unveiled a national strategic framework called The Future Flock, setting out a shared, long-term direction for the country’s sheep industry based on six months of consultation with more than 300 industry participants.
Informed by economic modelling and national consultations spanning producers, processors, exporters, researchers, and government representatives, the framework identifies nine interconnected imperatives shaping the industry’s future, covering industry culture, unity, people and capability, animal wellbeing, whole-of-animal value, supply chain performance, business profitability, innovation, and compliance.
Participants consistently described a successful Australian sheep industry as one built on four core attributes. Profitability, ensuring sustainable returns that encourage investment and attract the next generation. Sustainability, building resilience to withstand economic, environmental, and market shocks. Materiality, maintaining the scale and influence needed to contribute meaningfully to Australia’s economy and regional communities. And autonomy, positioning the industry as confident and capable of shaping its own future through strength rather than reliance on external support.
The next phase of The Future Flock will focus on testing and refining emerging insights, identifying the highest-leverage opportunities for change, building on existing strategies and initiatives, and co-designing practical actions to strengthen the industry over the long term. (*)
