The Government is contributing almost $6 million to a research programme aimed at giving the small scale New Zealand sheep milking industry a leg up.
Nearly the entire output of sheep milk products, mainly milk powder, icecream and cheese, come from just three enterprises, which between them have about 27,000 milking ewes. The industry has a target of reaching $200 million in export earnings by 2030.
Research leader Rodrigo Bibiloni of AgResearch said the project aimed to help it do that by increasing the supply and value of sheep milk products, focusing in particular on the functional food market.
"There is some research that needs to be done in terms of getting a precise composition of sheep milk but in general we can say that they have a higher amount of solids and a higher concentration of major nutrients compared to goats and cows," Dr Bibiloni said.
"So that provides unique ... characteristics to develop functional foods, so these foods are foods that can provide a benefit beyond nutrition."
Dr Bibiloni will collaborate on the project with Otago University, Callaghan Innovation and the three main sheep milk producers, Blue River in Southland, Waituhi Kuratau Trust at Turangi and Kingsmeade Cheese in Wairarapa.
AgResearch is also leading a government-funded research project to expand the goat milk industry in New Zealand.