High demand drives competitive 2025-2026 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.

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.

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

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