Stud Merino industry pleads ‘keep the mob’ as ban policy headbutts confidence

WA‘s Merino seedstock ram sale numbers have dropped by more than half in the past two years, causing concern for the flow-on effect to the State’s flock progression. This was the message from Stud Merino Breeders Association of WA vice president Grantly Mullan, who spoke at the wool industry crisis meeting held at the Australian Wool Testing Authority on November 27. Mr Mullan said as a result of the Federal Government’s policy to ban the live sheep export trade by sea, the number of Merino rams sold in WA had dropped from 13,652 in 2022 to 6009 this year. “The wool industry has a proud history, and we have to remain positive about our future,” he said. “It (wool) is such a great product, but our governments must start acknowledging what this policy decision is doing to not only the confidence of our industry, but also decisions that are being made on-farm right now.” he said. “We have seen three or four studs this year disband to other studs, this makes less competition, less investment back into genetics. “On the positive, we are finding city support — independent business-people are with us because they also don’t want government interference.” Mr Mullan, who runs a Merino stud with his family, said many Wheatbelt farmers were putting another paddock of crop in, based on poor wool and mutton prices that reflected the lack of confidence with commercial sheep producers. “It seems every farmer you talk to now want to get rid of a mob; we should re-brand the Keep the Sheep campaign to Keep the Mob,” he said. “They all want to drop one mob, they might drop the 4-or-5-year-olds and just run 2-and-3-year-olds. A lot are dropping their maidens off, but those are your best genetics — they are the ones that all the money goes into (new genetics).”