Insightful trip to Austrailia and New Zealand for Global Sheep Producers Forum
Two young sheep farmers joined peers from across the world for the Global Sheep Producers Forum, supported by NSA Next Generation and the Company of Merchants of the Staple of England.
Rich Oglesby from Northumberland and Rollo Deutsch from Gloucestershire were selected from a strong field of applicants to represent the UK and take part in a programme designed to build connections, share knowledge and strengthen the future of the global sheep sector.
The visit brought together young producers and emerging industry leaders from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the USA. The tour included farm visits, processor tours wool and retail food chain discussins. At LambEx26 in Adelaide, participants gained a valuable insight into how sheep-producing nations are responding to shared challenges around sustainability, productivity, welfare, markets and public trust.
The group saw how businesses are using data, electronic identification, DNA testing and traceability to improve productivity and demonstrate responsible production. Examples such as Ella Matta Pastoral, the Kangaroo Island Sheep Blowfly Sterile Insect Technique programme, Leahcim Merino and Chelwood Farming showed how innovation, animal health planning and supply chain relationships are helping producers respond to changing market and consumer expectations.
Attendance at LambEx26 in Adelaide provided a valuable opportunity to compare international approaches to sheep production and hear how producers, processors, researchers and advisers are addressing shared challenges. The event’s theme, “Telling Our Stories”, reinforced the need for farmers to communicate clearly and confidently about the value of their systems and the care behind the food and fibre they produce.
The tour then moved over to New Zealand where the programme focused on pasture-based sheep and beef systems. Commenting on the experience, Rollo Deutsch said: “It has been an amazing and life changing adventure. Having never been to the southern hemisphere before, it has broadened my mind of the world’s sheep industry.
“Both Australia and New Zealand have a positive outlook with such global demand for sheep meat and wool. I saw innovation first hand where there’s a greater skill to analyse data to help improve sheep performance, product quality and in the long run profit margins. We visited efficient sustainable farms who were willing to share knowledge and experience, which has brought back confidence to my system at home.
“As a UK farmer, it is easy to become insular and isolated. After this trip I have seen that it’s important to embrace threatening imports by working together with countries to supply different markets across the world. I see our future here at home with more integrated sustainable farming systems, producing a higher standard of product. Traceability and product quality will be essential for future marketing in the UK. Thank you to NSA and The Staple for providing such an opportunity.”
Commenting on the experience, Rich Oglesby said: “What an incredible opportunity to meet sheep producers from around the globe, whilst seeing the sheep sector in Australia and New Zealand. The inspiring people I met in our group of sheep producers from Canada, America, New Zealand, Australia and the UK was the most interesting part for me. The LambEx conference was also a personal highlight, with 1,500 people attending from all over the world, showing how valued this event is.
“The trip highlighted what an incredible industry agriculture is to be part of. The generosity and eagerness to share knowledge from farmers is second to none. My biggest take home was to embrace tech more positively. We saw some excellent innovations including measuring grass through satellites rather than using the time consuming plate meter. It was also clear from the data how much flocks and herds in Australia and New Zealand had improved by embracing Estimated Breeding Values and genomics to improve their genetics over time.
“I think the biggest aspect that the UK sheep sector could learn from New Zealand and Australia is to focus on Meat Eating Quality. It was clear that they had a strong focus on trying to produce the best product they could to gain optimum consumer satisfaction. The most impressive producers for Meat Eating Quality were Lumina lamb in New Zealand, which had developed a premium product recognised globally and is receiving a premium price for more than 100,000 lambs annually. A huge thank you to NSA and the Samual Wharry bursary, and to Australian sheep producers and Beef + Lamb New Zealand for organising an incredible tour.”
Overall, the visit demonstrated that sheep-producing nations face many shared pressures, including profitability, climate, labour, biosecurity and consumer confidence. It also showed the value of international networks in helping young producers share ideas, build leadership skills and bring fresh thinking back to their own businesses and industry organisations.
