Stud's eastern move as WA sheep industry falters

The Sheepmaster breed of shedding sheep was launched in 2017 after thirty years in development by founder Neil Garnett but last year the Sheepmaster Parent Stud was sold to Charlie Sullivan and Mark Berry.

Following the sale, the entire flock was shifted from Elleker, WA to the eastern states, with the stud now hitting shows including the Queensland State Sheep Show to help promote the breed.

General manager Andrew Hodgson said the flock was now being run across Mr Sullivan and Mr Berry's various properties in Victoria and in central western and western NSW.

Mr Hodgson said while there was a following in WA, the breed was still fairly unknown on the east coast but he believed that could change.

"If you look at where the sheep population is in Australia, it's over here on the eastern seaboard," he said.

"We believe we've got a pretty good product and what we wanted to do was bring them and put them in front of the market.

"There's a lot more upside over here and in WA it's very easy to put in just another paddock of cropping and a lot of people are doing that.

"In Western Australia the sheep job is shrinking, whereas over here I tend to think it's growing and there's lot of people producing prime lambs out of ewes that have wool on them and I don't believe that's sustainable in the long-term.

"I was talking to a fellow the other day, he runs a pretty big operation and he tells me there's a $6 loss every time he shears a ewe.

"For me, as long as you can keep the production going, why wouldn't you take the wool off them?"

Originating from Damara sheep, the breed also includes Van Rooy and White Suffolk genetics, with key selection criteria being fertility and mothering, size, good feet, conformation and skin quality.

"We really believe we've got the feet right, we've got the temperament right, we've got the shedding right and we've got the performance right," Mr Hodgson said.

"If you've got a ewe that weights 65kg, they're weaning 65kg of lamb every year and to me that's a massive number.

"If you can do those sort of numbers, I really think you're into a profitable lamb producing business."

Mr Hodgson said they don't tail dock the breed, and not having that post-marking recovery period helps with growth.

"The vets tell me that there's a big plus when you don't muck around with those muscles that down run through that area," he said.

"We've been doing it for three years now... there's no way I'd change that now.

"The animal welfare lobbies are getting stronger and strong every day... I'd rather be in front of the game than trying to play catch up."