Australian Alpacas

ALPACA FARMING

The alpaca industry in Australia is a relatively young industry. The first alpacas were imported to Australia in 1989. According to the Australian Alpaca Association there were approximately 40,000 alpacas in Australia in 2001.

The Australian alpaca industry is still largely a stud industry, with industry participants earning their living from selling breeding alpacas to new alpaca industry entrants. Increasingly, alpaca studs are becoming large enterprises with several alpaca studs boasting animals numbering in the hundreds.

While alpacas are known for their beautiful fleece, many sheep farmers – small farmers and broadacre farmers – have incorporated a few alpacas into their flocks as guardian animals. Alpacas form an attachment to a sheep flock and will ward of any threats like foxes at lambing time.

It is widely recognised within the alpaca producers that the alpaca industry needs to reach the stage where there are enough animals to warrant a commercial industry providing alpaca meat initially to the restaurant trade.

Alpacas are relatively easy to halter train when they are young and are beautiful and docile animals until aroused by a threat.