Alpacas have soared in popularity over the last couple of decades and can now be seen on almost every semi-rural plot imaginable. On the outskirts of Sutton, there is an entire farm of alpacas that allows anyone can get up close and personal. The Canberra Times reported on the burgeoning new rural industry on this day in 1994. Alpaca farming has sprung up in the Canberra region. Native to South America, these soft, fluffy animals are prized for their fleece, which is one of the finest natural fibres in the world. They are soft with big, trusting eyes, smarter and more assertive than sheep and they like the cold weather, making them perfect for farmers in Canberra due to the climate. A good breeding animal in Australia could cost between $20,000 and $40,000. In their fourth year of alpaca farming at the time, Graham and Christine Greig had almost 50 on their Sutton farm. "We initially bought a few, and then we bought a few more," Graham said. "We've gone fairly quiet for the last couple of years. We sold a few last year and that's brought us to almost break-even point. We haven't really made a profit yet but we are about breaking even at this stage. That's basically because we've been building up our herd rather than selling." The Greigs are like a microcosm of the fledgling Australian alpaca industry, which began with the first imported animals in 1989 and now claims about 5000 head. The national herd will have to increase several-fold before the quantity of fleece available makes commercial production and processing viable. In the meantime, the Griegs sold their fleece to local craftspeople for up to $100 per kilogram but they expected this price to fall drastically when alpaca fleece became commercially available in enough quantity to make it a fully commercial product. "I think this is one of the best places in Australia to run them. What knocks them about is heat and humidity," Graham said. "As a proposition for a small acreage farmer, these guys are the way to go." They can be run on a similar stocking rate to sheep and do not suffer from flystrike or foot rot. Their toes need regular clipping if kept on soft ground but their padded feet means they do less damage to the soil. The Greigs say their losses from attacks by dogs of foxes were nil because alpacas group together and advance on a threat. The Greigs said the animals are "a real pleasure to work with". See: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/13358090
