High Demand Drives Competitive 2025–26 Sheep and Cattle Industry Fund Allocation Process

More than $3.5 million from the Sheep Industry Fund and $528,000 from the Cattle Industry Fund has been committed to new projects and activities that aim to strengthen South Australia's livestock sector in 2025–26.¹

The Funds play a vital role in supporting the state’s sheep and cattle industries through investment in practical and strategic areas, including animal health, biosecurity, traceability, industry development and advocacy. These investments help safeguard market access, support trade and promote continuous improvement in livestock practices.

This year’s funding round generated strong interest, with a total of 62 applications submitted across both Funds. The 47 applications to the Sheep Industry Fund and 15 to the Cattle Industry Fund sought more than twice the available funding.

While this strong response reflects the livestock sector’s drive for innovation and ongoing development, it also underscores the growing pressure on the Funds to keep pace with industry needs. Many strong proposals could not be supported due to funding constraints.

This highlights the importance of maintaining strategic investment and ensuring funding capacity remains aligned with industry priorities. While South Australia's unique industry funding model continues to deliver strong value for levy payers, its long-term effectiveness relies on its ability to adapt to external pressures and the sector’s changing needs and expectations.

A further $200,000 and $380,896 from the Sheep Industry Fund has also been allocated for rebuilding the SA Dog Fence and its ongoing maintenance.²

Sheep Industry Fund Projects

Project	Provider
Box Flat Wild Dog Control	Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board
Clever Clovers to Improve Animal Health	South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI)
Empowering SA Sheep Industry Women	Women Together Learning
Eradicating Feral Deer from Sheep Country (Year 4)	Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA)
LambEx 2026 Sponsorship	28 National Limited
Lead Agriculture Teacher for SA (2024-2025)	AgCommunicators
Lead Agriculture Teacher for SA (2025-2026)	AgCommunicators
NLIS Sheep Program	Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA)
Novel Culture System for Mycoplasma Vaccine	The University of Adelaide
Pneumonia Rapid-In Field Test	The University of Adelaide
SA Biosecurity Extension	Livestock SA
SA Drought Hub	SA Drought Hub
SA Livestock Industry Development	Livestock SA
SA Merino Sire Evaluation	SA Merino Sire Evaluation, C/- Merino SA
SA Ovine Footrot Management Program	Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA)
Sheep and Wool Producer Communications	AWI Extension SA
Sheep Blowfly Sterile Insect Technique – Implementation (Year 4)	South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI)
Sheep Lice Compliance Program	Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA)
Sheep Pain Mitigation Program (Year 4)	The University of Adelaide
Small Project Fund – service providers can apply for small projects during the year	Livestock SA
South Australian Sheep Expo	South Australian Sheep Expo Council Inc.
WoolTAG - Toolbox Allowances	Livestock SA

The approved 2025–26 Sheep Industry Fund applications have a combined co-funding contribution of $9 million over the lifetime of the projects, bringing the total investment in sheep industry priorities to $12.5 million.

For more information about the Sheep Industry Fund and the approved projects: SIF Approved Projects 2025/26 | Livestock SA

Cattle Industry Fund Projects

Project	Provider
NLIS Cattle Compliance Program	Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA)
SA Biosecurity Extension	Livestock SA
SA Junior Heifer Expo	SA Junior Heifer Expo Organising Committee
SA Livestock Industry Development	Livestock SA
Small Project Fund – service providers can apply for small projects during the year	Livestock SA

The approved 2025–26 Cattle Industry Fund applications have a combined co-funding contribution of $878,640 over the lifetime of the projects, bringing the total investment in cattle industry priorities to $1.4 million.

For more information about the Cattle Industry Fund and the approved projects: CIF Approved Projects 2025/26 | Livestock SA

¹ The Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development approves projects and activities that are consistent with the Sheep Industry Fund and Cattle Industry Fund Regulations and releases the funding for these projects to Livestock SA for their administration.

² The Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development also approves the expenditure of the Dog Fence rebuild and maintenance contributions, which are administered by the SA Dog Fence Board.

ENDS

Media Contact:
Hannah Trevilyan, Communications and Membership Manager, Livestock SA, 08 8297 2299