An expert from a sheep breeder's body is of the opinion that, sheep breeders are moving towards raising sheep livestock to generate income from their meat, rather than from the wool.
According to, Rod Thirkell-Johnston from Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association (TFGA), high lamb and mutton prices have witnessed, a few wool growers turning their back on the wool industry.
This he says, could result in wool becoming a bi-product for sheep farmers, which has the potential to create a big impact on the Australian wool sector as well as the status of the country as a reputed wool exporter.
As per estimates around 2,500 jobs have been lost in the shearing shed across Australia due to the dwindling numbers of sheep flock. The size of the Australian sheep flock has fallen from 170 million in 1990 to below 77 million in 2008.