Emerging animal and plant industries Their value to Australia by Max Foster and the Agricultural Commodities Section, ABARES September 2014 RIRDC Publication No 14/069 RIRDC Project No PRJ-008496 © Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation 2013 All rights reserved. ISBN 978-1-74254-685-8 ISSN 1440-6845 Emerging animal and plant industries—their value to Australia Publication No. 14/069 Project No. PRJ-008496 The information contained in this publication is intended for general use to assist public knowledge and discussion and to help improve the development of sustainable regions. You must not rely on any information contained in this publication without taking specialist advice relevant to your particular circumstances. While reasonable care has been taken in preparing this publication to ensure that information is true and correct, the Commonwealth of Australia gives no assurance as to the accuracy of any information in this publication. The Commonwealth of Australia, the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC), the authors or contributors expressly disclaim, to the maximum extent permitted by law, all responsibility and liability to any person, arising directly or indirectly from any act or omission, or for any consequences of any such act or omission, made in reliance on the contents of this publication, whether or not caused by any negligence on the part of the Commonwealth of Australia, RIRDC, the authors or contributors. The Commonwealth of Australia does not necessarily endorse the views in this publication. This publication is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, all other rights are reserved. However, wide dissemination is encouraged. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the RIRDC Publications Manager on 02 6271 4165. Researcher contact details Agricultural Commodities Section ABARES PO Box 1563 Canberra 2601 Phone: +61 2 6272 2010 Fax: +61 2 6272 2040 Email: [email protected] In submitting this report, the researcher has agreed to RIRDC publishing this material in its edited form. RIRDC contact details Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation Level 2, 15 National Circuit BARTON ACT 2600 PO Box 4776 KINGSTON ACT 2604 Phone: 02 6271 4100 Fax: 02 6271 4199 Email: [email protected]. Web: http://www.rirdc.gov.au Electronically published by RIRDC in September 2014 Print-on-demand by Union Offset Printing, Canberra at www.rirdc.gov.au or phone 1300 634 313 ii Foreword New and emerging industries need readily accessible information about farm production, processing and marketing techniques. Information about the nature of the international and domestic markets that each emerging industry will be supplying is often neglected. This report identifies a broad range of new and emerging industries in Australia, at various stages in their development cycles. It also points to a number of industries that were classified as new and emerging over the past decade, but are now in decline or—in some cases—have ceased to exist. It is inevitable that some new industries will not become successful and sustainable in the long run. This is the third edition of Emerging animal and plant industries—their value to Australia, all of which have been funded by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation. The first edition was published in 2005 and the second edition in 2009. The 2014 edition has been extended to include information about international markets for new industries that are prospective in Australia, but where there are not yet commercial producers; for example, the guar and stevia industries. This report is an addition to RIRDC’s diverse range of over 2000 research publications and it forms part of our R&D program, which aims to facilitate the development of new and developing plant and animal industries that have commercial potential for Australia. Most of RIRDC’s publications are available for viewing, free downloading or purchasing online at www.rirdc.gov.au. Purchases can also be made by phoning 1300 634 313. Craig Burns Managing Director Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation iii Abbreviations kg kilogram = 2.20462 pounds t tonne = 1000 kilograms kt kilotonne = 1000 tonnes Mt megatonne = 1 000 000 tonnes L litre kL kilolitre = 1000 litres ML megalitre = 1 000 000 litres GL gigalitre = 1 000 000 000 litres ha hectare A$ dollar (Australian) $m million dollars (Australian) $b billion dollars (Australian) US$ dollar (United States) US$m million dollars (United States) US$b billion dollars (United States) cif cost, insurance and freight EVAO estimated value of agricultural operations fas free alongside ship fob free on board GDP gross domestic product na not available nc not calculated nec not elsewhere classified nes not elsewhere specified p provisional ABARES Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences ABS Australian Bureau of Statistics DAFF Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations RIRDC Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation WTO World Trade Organization UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Small discrepancies in totals are generally caused by rounding. 0 is used to denote nil or a negligible amount. iv Contents Foreword ............................................................................................................................................... iii Abbreviations ........................................................................................................................................ iv Overview .............................................................................................................................................. xiv Method of analysis .......................................................................................................................... xiv Valuing production ..................................................................................................................... xiv Data sources ................................................................................................................................ xv Key findings .................................................................................................................................... xvi Emerging livestock industries .............................................................................................................. 1 Alpacas ............................................................................................................................................... 3 Buffaloes ............................................................................................................................................ 6 Camels ................................................................................................................................................ 8 Dairy sheep ....................................................................................................................................... 11 Deer .................................................................................................................................................. 13 Emus ................................................................................................................................................. 17 Game birds ....................................................................................................................................... 19 Game pigs ......................................................................................................................................... 23 Goats................................................................................................................................................. 24 Meat goats ................................................................................................................................... 25 Cashmere ..................................................................................................................................... 27 Mohair ......................................................................................................................................... 29 Dairy goats .................................................................................................................................. 31 Kangaroos and wallabies .................................................................................................................. 33 Kangaroos ................................................................................................................................... 33 Wallabies ..................................................................................................................................... 35 Ostriches ........................................................................................................................................... 36 Possums ............................................................................................................................................ 39 Rabbits, farmed ................................................................................................................................ 41 Aquaculture and fisheries ................................................................................................................