There are three major groups of sheep breeds in Australia.
75% are purebred Merinos grown for their wool; 12% are first cross ewes (mostly Merino x Border Leicester) used to mother lambs for the domestic lamb market; of the remainder, 9% are Merino-derived dual-purpose breeds, grown for both wool and meat, and 4% are short-wool meat breeds used for prime lamb production.
The Wool Industry
Sheepmeat production in Australia is secondary to the growing of sheep for wool.
The Australian Merino is derived from three original foundation breeds and can be classified into four distinct types according to the type of wool produced.
As a result of breeding programmes, and the climate in the region, each State in Australia has a predominance of one of the four Merino types.
Merino Types
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Superfine Wool Merino
Fine Wool Merino
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Medium Wool Merino
Strong Wool Merino
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British Dual-Purpose Breeds
British long wool and short wool sheep breeds were also imported, and are now used for the production of prime lambs and as dualpurpose sheep (meat and wool).
British Breeds
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Border Leicester
English Leicester
Dorset Down
Poll Dorset
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Romney
Coopworth
Lincoln
Cheviot
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Perendale
Gromark
Ryeland
Suffolk
Shropshire
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White Suffolk
South Suffolk
Southdown
Hampshire Down
Wiltshire Horn
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Australian Prime Lamb Production
Prime lamb production is undertaken by specialist lamb producers although it is commonly a part of a mixed farming enterprise. The Australian sheep industry has developed a highly efficient system of producing quality prime lambs. The system optimises the selection of ideal
characteristics, so that the resulting lamb has inherited the size and robustness of its first cross dam with the fast growth and carcase characteristics of the terminal sire.
