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Spring lamb death toll
19 Sep 2003
Strong winds and driving rain are sapping the recovery of the already depleted Australian sheep flock, with thousands of young lambs across Victoria being killed by the extreme weather conditions that have marked the first fortnight of Spring.
Slinkskin Pty Ltd, which collects and harvests the skins of dead lambs, says it's had a record number of lambs through its skinning and tanning operations in recent weeks. In Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia, 112,000 lambskins have already been processed this year - about the total number processed for the whole of 2002. The figure for Victoria is about 70,000.
Merino breeders who have switched to later lambing this year have been caught by the cold and wet start to Spring, which has dashed their hopes of rebuilding flock numbers after the drought.
The losses come as sheep industry organisations - including Australian Wool Innovation, the Australian Stud Merino Breeders Association and Meat and Livestock Australia - are calling for a rebuilding of the national flock.
Stock & Land, 18/9/03.
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