SSF sees industry success in latest annual report card

Jo Grainger and Angus Gidley-Baird emphasised the importance of the SSF at the Annual Report’s launch.

The world’s biggest sheep, lamb and wool forum, LambEx, was a fitting place for the launch of the Fourth Annual Report of the Sheep Sustainability Framework (SSF) on 7 August 2024.

The latest report card showed industry growth – to the gross value of $7.7 billion for sheepmeat and greasy wool production – despite seasonal and economic challenges. It also highlighted positive progress on several sustainability indicators within the framework.

SFF Independent Chair Angus Gidley-Baird, who launched the Annual Report, emphasised the document represents more than just the data.

“It reflects the complex decisions producers make each day on their properties – from managing labour availability, and production costs to balancing dozens of other factors – as they strive for profitability within a sustainability context,” Angus said.

This year, the industry’s efforts and achievements were measured using four new metrics, including data on biodiversity and sheep producers’ wellbeing. These metrics revealed that the average Australian sheep producer had a higher satisfaction with life than the national average (as recorded in a 2022/23 survey), and 72.6% of producers engage in deliberate activities to measure, maintain or enhance biodiversity.

Securing the industry’s future

Keynote speaker Jo Grainger, Assistant Secretary at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), highlighted the importance of these positive trends and metrics for the future of Australian agriculture.

Throughout her presentation, Jo noted that:

• The Sheep Sustainability Framework is being a key communication and advocacy tool for the industry,

• There are growing expectations of sustainability for accessing the EU market,

• There is a drive for sustainability coming from both local consumer demand and regulatory requirements.

• The importance of sustainability credentials both now and in the future to continue accessing markets and keeping up with competitors.

In a summary of the day’s events, Angus said having the SSF as an industry-led tool was important to the framework’s continued success.

“It truly is an industry-driven initiative and that’s where a lot of its value sits,” Angus said.

“If we don’t take hold of some of the narrative in this space, someone else will.”