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Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation
Angora Rabbits - A potential new industry for Australia by A. C. Schlink and S.M. Liu, CSIRO Livestock Industries
April 2003
RIRDC Publication No 03/014 RIRDC Project No CSA-19A
Declining terms of trade for rural commodities in Australia generates a requirement for increased farm productivity. Risk spreading strategies such as diversification of income streams in mixed farming enterprises may assist rural economics by increasing the utilization of existing farm resources.
Angora fibre production is the third largest animal fibre industry in the world after wool and mohair. Australia plays a significant role in wool production as well as producing alpaca, mohair and cashmere for the international fibre trade. Australia is currently absent from the international Angora fibre trade and as such, provides an obvious path of diversification for the Australian animal fibre industries.
Australia had a small Angora industry until the 1930™s and there have been recent attempts to revive the industry in the 1980s and in the early 2000s. These developments have been facilitated by the changes to some State government laws since the mid 1980s that now allow for commercial rabbit farming in Australia. The Angora rabbit industry is an intensive animal industry and as such is subjected to the planning regulations of intensive animal industries. Being an intensive animal industry, Angora fibre production is significantly different to other fibre industries in Australia in that they cannot draw on the expertise of Australian livestock operators in the grazing sheep and cattle industries. However, Australia does have internationally competitive intensive animal industries that could provide some expertise for the development of an intensive fibre industry. Australia also has an intensively housed sheep industry for the production of super fine wool that could provide some expertise in intensive fibre production and marketing.
China dominates the world Angora fibre trade, producing approximately 90% of the world Angora fibre. China has taken over the position in the world market traditionally held by France as the main source of Angora fibre. World Angora fibre production has declined since the early 1990s after import prices of Angora fibre into France peaked in 1985 at AUD$89.32 per kg of raw fibre. The current (2001) import price into France is AUD$23.44 per kg. At this price for raw fibre France has been unable to profitably sell raw fibre on the international market but still maintains a viable Angora rabbit industry. The Angora rabbit growers through their cooperative now retain ownership of the fibre until at least the yarn stage of manufacture. These low world prices have seen a number of European and South American Angora fibre produces disappear from the world Angora fibre markets.
There are no significant animal husbandry difficulties for Australia to be successful in farming Angora rabbits for fibre production. In many aspects Angora rabbit production is likely to be less demanding than meat rabbit production as fibre is predominately produced from adult rabbits.
Meat rabbit production places a high demand on reproduction and growth rates to ensure a high production per doe of meat. There are currently limited numbers of French Angora rabbits in Australia and are no large scale commercial producers of German Angora rabbits in Australia.
Australian quarantine protocols have been developed for the importation of Angora rabbits from France, and although this is an expensive way of acquiring rabbits, limited numbers will only need to be imported to start an industry in Australia. Australia has skills in the housing, feeding and management of intensively housed livestock that should not inhibit the development of a domestic Angora industry.
Unfortunately the Australian industry will be severely handicapped by the current world prices for Angora fibre. To be successful an Australian Angora industry will have to replicate the Angora industry models developed by France and Finland. These countries are unable to compete with China on the world market but have maintained an industry in the case of France and building an industry in Finland by retaining ownership of the raw fibre through the processing chain to at least the yarn stage of manufacture. These countries are also attempting to convert the majority of the yarn into garments for sale with the traditional fluffy Angora finish. Although there is likely to be small domestic market for this type of garment, the Australian industry would need to look at larger, high value markets to become a viable Australian animal industry. China is the major producer and manufacture of fluffy Angora garments for the international market and thus Australia would be unlikely to successfully to compete in this traditional international Angora garment market.
The Australian industry would need to look at value adding to the raw fibre and to place the product into a high value market outside of the traditional fluffy Angora fabric markets. The fibre diameter profile of Angora down without the bristle component could provide such market opportunity. Australia has a long standing reputation in the production of super fine micron wool and the Angora industry would need to look to this end of the market for product development.
The fibre requirements could be met by breeding specific lines of rabbits to produce bristle free fleece or develop processing technologies to remove bristle from fleece wool during processing.
If this could be achieved then the Australian Angora industry could enter the next to skin wear market that the traditional Angora textile industry does not currently address. There is a small market for Angora based fabrics for next to skin wear health products market that is based on the light weight and warmth of Angora containing fabrics. The potential growth of this market is likely to be small but provides a basis to develop processing technologies to produce high value light weight fabrics for every day wear.
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