The Australian alpaca industry supplies commercial markets with fibre, meat and stud genetics together with the supply of livestock as pets and guard animals. Estimates suggest there are more than 350,000 head of alpaca in Australia. Alpacas are farmed in temperate and cooler regions. Alpaca production is considered to have environmental advantages, causing little damage to fragile soils, requiring less chemical input and producing less methane than sheep and cattle.
New and emerging industries in their infancy often lack the public awareness and resources to assist with industry growth. This compact business case provides a concise overview of the alpaca industry. It provides a resource that can be used to drive awareness and engage with potential investors regarding opportunities to assist industry growth.
The compact business case is the result of stakeholder consultation across the Australian alpaca industry and pulls together the industry’s status, market opportunities, challenges, competition, governance and economics in one resource for the industry.