DON'T let the size of Boyanup fool you - the small South West town is set to be home to one of the biggest privately-owned sheep feedlots in WA.
With a $7 million price tag, the feedlot will have a 28,000 head holding capacity and could turn off 250,000 lambs annually.
It is the brainchild of father-and-son duo Alan and Matthew Garstone, who wanted to alleviate pressures on the industry while expanding their own business.
Plans for the feedlot were recently given the greenlight by the Joint Development Assessment Panel (JDAP) with a list of conditions outlined.
These conditions included an odour assessment within 12 months and a management plan specifying the movement of lambs.
Currently, the Garstones puts through crossbred lambs in late November - at the beginning of the feedlot season - and then transition into Merinos until August.
"We are already traders, but do most of our feeding out of the paddock," Matthew Garstone said.
"This is a natural progression and a very big step for us.
"One of the biggest impacts on lamb growth is the environment and if you can make it so they are in an environment where they are happier, they grow better."
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The Garstones visited larger feedlot systems like at Baldivis and York for inspiration, in the hope of developing a world leading set-up.
Features of the proposed feedlot include a sawtooth roof design - comprising of a series of ridges with dual pitches either side - to keep the area well ventilated, as well as a three-metre raised floor.
Additionally, the structure would be open-sided to allow for further ventilation.
So how would such a large-scale feedlot operate?
Through an induction process, lambs would be carefully introduced to feed in a 'very intensively' monitored area.
The Garstones are still figuring out whether or not this means they are on a starter ration or not.
This would happen right next to the shearing shed, so the lambs can be shorn without leaving the environment.
In terms of space, the feedlot would run at one animal per square metre with lambs kept in smaller mobs to keep social structures under control.
"Once they are settled and happy we will move them onto the next shed where they will be treated more like a feedlot lamb," Mr Garstone said.
"They would have adjusted by that point and would still be monitored daily, however we wouldn't need to be as intensive about husbandry as we were in the first seven-day window."
He added, it was the next step up for ethical feedlotting of lambs and environmentally would tick a lot of boxes - carbon foot print, nutrient and nutrient control wise.
"Lambs absolutely love sheds," Mr Gartstone said.
"If it is anything less than perfect, the shed is the nicest place for the lambs to be and they are smart enough to know that."
As Johnes disease is endemic in WA's sheep flock, one of the biggest concerns raised during planning was the potential disease risk posed to neighbouring properties, however Mr Garstone said the animal they were dealing with wasn't spreading such diseases.
"We talked to the State veterinarian and Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development," he said.
"They assured us that realistically any of the diseases people were concerned about would be spread by older animals.
"Johnes disease is not shed until sheep are three to four years old, and the animals we are dealing with are younger than a year."
It is anticipated construction would be complete and the feedlot ready by 2025.
