Fat Tail Sheep
An exciting development in recent years has been the introduction of fat tail sheep breeds to produce animals specifically destined for the live sheep trade to the Middle East. This market has a preference for the meat from fat tail sheep and the Australian industry has responded by developing a segment dedicated to this trade. The most common of these breeds is the Awassi (very few in Australia) well-known to both Middle East consumers and the domestic ethnic consumers. The Karakul, an Iranian breed, is also expanding in numbers. The newest of these breeds is the African Damara, a large framed, long tailed, fat tail sheep.