Sheep (Ovis aries) were among the first animals domesticated by humans, around 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent. Today they are raised on every inhabited continent for meat, milk, wool, and leather. Meat from young sheep is called lamb, while meat from older animals is called mutton or hogget depending on age. Sheep milk is used to produce cheeses like feta, roquefort, and pecorino.
Australia has one of the world’s largest sheep industries, with a flock of roughly 70 million animals. Historically centred on wool production (particularly Merino breeds), the industry has shifted significantly toward meat production in recent decades. Lamb is a staple protein in Australian diets, and Australia is one of the world’s largest exporters of both lamb and mutton. Sheep farming is concentrated in the wheat-sheep zone of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia.
How it's produced
Sheep are farmed on pasture in most of Australia, grazing on native and improved grasslands. The typical production cycle involves breeding ewes in autumn, with lambs born in winter or spring and raised on pasture alongside their mothers. Lambs destined for meat are either finished on pasture or moved to feedlots for grain finishing before slaughter, usually at 4 to 12 months of age.
Sheep milk production is a smaller but growing sector, with dairy sheep breeds (such as East Friesian and Awassi) milked seasonally. Australian sheep farming faces challenges including drought, predation, and land management, but the extensive pastoral system means most sheep spend the majority of their lives outdoors on open pasture.
What it costs the planet (per kilo)
* Based on what it takes to produce, from farm to factory gate.
What comes from this
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