Alpacas

Products: Fibre, leather and meat

Synopsis – Australian Industry

The Australian alpaca industry was established in the late 1980s and at June 2006 had grown into a flock size of around 90,000.  The Australian industry is in a flock building phase with little commercial meat production as yet and a substantial trade in breeding stock.  Reflecting this phase, and the worldwide shortage of breeding stock, prices are very high for suitable breeding alpacas. 

In 2006-2007, an estimated 108 tonnes of alpaca fibre was produced worth $1.25m.  The unit price was low compared with indicator prices, reflecting the fact that a significant part of the clip (14% in 2006-2007) has no commercial value at this stage.  In the same year, the Australian industry exported 2.7 t of alpaca fleece to Peru for processing and imported 37t of alpaca products including re-export of fibre to Australia as processed products.

Background

Alpacas are native to South America and are farmed in Peru (2.5 million alpacas), Bolivia (500,000) and Chile and Argentina combined (50,000).  There are two main alpaca types: Huacaya and Suri.  More than 90% of Australian alpacas are the Huacaya type.  With tight restrictions on the export of alpacas from South America, a worldwide shortage of good alpaca breeding stock prevails.  In October 2006, the average price received at the Annual Show and Sale in Canberra was $40,000, with a top price for a breeding male of $124,000.

Alpaca fibre is soft, light, warm and comfortable when worn close to the skin.  It is available in natural colours of white, fawn, grey, chocolate brown and black and is dyed into many colours. Its qualities and its limited supply put it into the luxury fibre category.  It is processed into a range of high quality garments and home wares.

The main marketer of alpaca fibre in Australia is the Australian Alpaca Fleece Limited (AAFL), an industry owned company established in 2004, replacing the Australian Alpaca Cooperative.   AAFL collects and classes alpaca fleeces and then sells them to strategic partners who market the final products both in Australia and overseas.  White and light fawn fibre made up 52% of total fibre received in 2006-2007 (compared with 42% in 2003-2004).  With almost no grease in alpaca fibre, processing yield is usually around 95%.

Links

• Alpha Tops Group (www.alphatops.co), prices for alpaca fibre.
• Australian Alpaca Association (www.alpaca.asn.au), information from the industry representative body.
• Australian Alpaca Fleece Ltd (www.australianalpacafleece.com.au), information on the marketing of alpaca products.
• International Alpaca Association (www.aia.org.pe), information on alpacas, mainly in Peru, including some Peruvian export data.
• The Alpaca Marketplace (www.alpacamarketplace.com), listing of alpaca (and llamas) for sale in Australia
• The Schneider Group (www.gschneider.com/brochure/specialfibres.php), prices and other market information for alpaca fibre.