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Tucking into a few lamb chops is going to be a major part of Kelly Pearce’s PhD research at Murdoch University.Rather than a degree in gluttony, Ms Pearce is trying to gather the scientific evidence to develop a sheep farming industry based on saltbush grazing. If successful, Ms Pearce’s research could generate new production opportunities for farmers with salt-affected land. Salinity currently affects more than 5.7 million hectares of rural land in Australia, and is set to grow to 17.1 million hectares by 2050. “There is a lot of anecdotal evidence that meat from sheep that have grazed on saltbush is leaner and tastes better,” said Ms Pearce. “If this is true, farmers with salt affected areas have the opportunity to develop a new niche market in sheep meat while rehabilitating their land.” Ms Pearce said saltbush was one of the most salt-tolerant pasture species available in Australia, and it was currently used to rehabilitate salt-affected land drawing up the salty groundwater. During the study, Ms Pearce will examine the quality of the animal by testing wool quality, the saturated fat content of the meat, the stress factors evident in the carcass and most importantly, the secrets to the taste of the meat. “I am interested in the complete system, developing all the aspects of the sheep farming system from environmental concerns right through to what supplements are needed in the animals’ diets for a successful industry.” This study is jointly supervised by Dr David Pethick from Murdoch University and Dr David Masters from CSIRO Livestock Industries. |
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Editor: Pepi Smyth
Produced by the ">Office
of Community Relations, Murdoch
University |
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