INDUSTRY

Sheep that muster, weigh, draft, medicate and manage themselves without human intervention sound like a pastoralists dream. But they will soon be a reality in Australia, thanks to a technology breakthrough from the Australian Sheep Industry Co-operative Research Centre. Researchers in the Sheep CRC are developing a system know as RIAM (remote individual animal management), in which sheep are automatically logged, weighed and checked for certain health conditions as they come to water or move from one paddock to another. Offering, potentially, the biggest boost to sheep industry productivity since the shepherds deserted en masse in the 1850s gold rush, RIAM opens the way for sheep to be individually monitored and managed by remote control, says Sheep CRC chief executive officer, Professor James Rowe. The first part of the RIAM technology is already under trial on properties and research stations in Queensland and NSW. Sheep equipped with an electronic tag are automatically logged and weighed as they pass through a race on their way to feed or drink. The trailer-mounted system is completely self-contained, runs on solar powered 12-volt batteries, and has been designed to operate from remote locations. Development is under way of the second phase of RIAM, adding automatic gates to the walk-through scales, so animals that are underweight and need extra feeding can be separated from those doing well. This will enable the grazier to fine-tune the nutrition of individual animals, without having to go out in the paddock to do it. In its third phase the technology will add sensors that can detect flystrike or heavy worm infestation, and separate out those animals requiring special treatment - in effect, self-medicating sheep. This will not only help in selecting for healthier sheep, but also curb the use of chemicals, delaying the buildup of parasite resistance. The RIAM technology is being development by a scientific consortium which includes CSIRO, the University of New England, the State agriculture departments of NSW, Queensland and WA and the Australian Meat Processor Corporation. "The technology sounds simple enough in concept, but there are formidable technical problems to be solved to ensure it works reliably, and is well adapted to conditions on the farm. That calls for a national scientific effort - and that's where the Sheep CRC approach pays dividends," Prof. Rowe says. "Just as dairy farmers, for generations, have had the ability to monitor the performance of individual animals in the bail, this will give the extensive sheep producer the ability to vary the feed and treatments which different animals in the flock receive, leading to overall gains in productivity and a more even product." The automatic weigher will, for the first time, give producers the ability to study the results of feeding strategies on individual animals as well as the whole flock. The addition of sensors to detect fly strike or heavy worm burdens will also allow afflicted sheep to be separated and treated, without wasting treatment on the healthy ones. This should lead to a significant reduction in drenching and jetting and the use of chemicals. Because sheep will "self-muster" without pressure from humans or dogs, researchers expect that stress levels will also be lower, leading to better growth rates and improved flock health. Information collected on individual sheep by the logger, scales and sensors will be reported directly to the property's computer by wireless link. Remote sensors will also monitor water troughs; gates may open and feed supplements be automatically dispensed. The automatic race technology also offers cost savings. Based on NSW Department of Primary Industry estimates, a basic unit costing $15,000 would pay for itself in saved mustering and water checking in less than a year on a typical pastoral grazing property. Sheep producer Cam Banks, "Lakeview", Uralla, NSW has been involved in the initial farm trials of RIAM: "I see this as a tremendous breakthrough. It gives us, as farmers, the ability to measure what's happening on a regular basis without the stresses of going through yards. And it saves on labour costs and time." The research addresses National Research Priority 3, frontier technologies for transforming industry.