LivestockUS lamb demand grows, but sheep producers say imports are taking the gain
Lamb consumption rose more than 17 percent from 2021 to 2025 while domestic sales fell over 10 percent, a US International Trade Commission review heard.
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Sheep farming
Livestock
LivestockFrom cattle and goats to desert dumba: a 32-bigha Natore farm with 60 ready for sale
In Gurudaspur, Natore, Hannan Sarker started with 30 dumba sheep brought from India and now runs a 32-bigha farm; each animal sells for Tk 100,000 to over Tk 300,000 depending on size, and 23 people work there.
LivestockThe hidden losses of poor livestock health, and how a vet says to prevent them
Dr Dave Midgley of the Ruminant Veterinary Association of South Africa says subclinical illness quietly cuts wool, growth, milk and fertility, and that prevention and the right genetics cost far less.
LivestockSheep under solar panels can boost bees, if stocking is kept light, Cornell finds
Cornell University studies found that grazing two sheep per hectare at a solar farm raised beneficial insects by 38% compared with mowing, and produced a tool to help farmers plan solar grazing flocks.
LivestockIn a dry corner of the Western Cape, a Dohne stud breeds for fertility first
Martin de Klerk of Perdefontein Dohne Merinos near Clanwilliam uses strict culling, veld testing without supplementary feed and breeding values to build a fertile, hardy dual-purpose flock.
LivestockTwo roaming dogs killed 47 lambs on a Wairarapa station; the owner must pay NZ$7,000
Glenburn Station lost 43 lambs outright and four more had to be put down; the Carterton council won a Dog Control Act prosecution and is seeking the longest ban it can on the owner keeping dogs.
AgrotechStellenbosch sensor network films jackals at night to help protect sheep
An automated biotelemetry system built by Stellenbosch University researcher Megan le Roux records night-time video of black-backed jackals on farms and uploads it without human help, to study a predator culling has failed to control.
LivestockRecord sheep prices lure Riverina farmers from crops to stock as the north stays dry
A Temora family sold first-cross ewes for a reported Australian saleyard record of $620 a head, while about 45% of New South Wales remains in drought.
LivestockBritish wool prices jump 70p a kilo, bringing fleeces close to paying for shearing
British Wool's first four sales of the season averaged £1.70/kg, and core wool types could pay farmers more than £1/kg for the 2026 clip, enough to cover shearing costs.
Livestock
Eastern Cape wool growers who sheared in their homes get a R1.4m shearing shed
The Eastern Cape agriculture department has handed a R1.4 million shed with a dipping tank to 48 communal wool farmers at Ngonyama Village, along with 10 Dohne Merino rams.
Livestock
Romanian shepherds and farmers clash with police over EU sheep export ban and drought aid
About 2,000 protesters outside the Bucharest government headquarters on 15 September threw rocks and barriers at riot police, who answered with tear gas; 26 were detained and 24 needed treatment. The EU has extended its ban on live sheep exports to 31 December 2026 after PPR and sheep-and-goat-pox o
Livestock
Ireland's bluetongue tally rises to five as three more herds test positive
DAFM confirmed BTV-3 in single animals in Wexford, Wicklow and Kildare herds; with infected midges more numerous in England and Wales, a senior vet says the risk to Irish stock is higher than last year.
Organic
Cork suckler and sheep farmer Kay O'Sullivan shortlisted for Europe's best organic farmer
The fifth-generation farmer from Mourneabbey, organic since 2010, is one of three finalists in the female category of the EU Organic Awards to be presented in Brussels on September 23.