Sheep, Sheep, and More Sheep!

The predominant breed of sheep in Australia is the Merino, but it was only introduced in the country in the late 18th century. Since then, the Merino population has grown at an incredibly rapid pace. Today, a whopping 104 million sheep are believed to reside in the land down under.

Sheep production and wool are particularly important for Western Australia, where they have a major economic and industrial impact. The Australian sheepmeat industry alone is worth an astounding $5.23 billion, and the country produces 8% of the world’s sheepmeat supply.