Rural
5 November, 2026
Sheep welfare sparks search interest
Lamb marking is a familiar part of sheep farming across the Wimmera Mallee, but what can Google search data provide insights into when Australians show the most interest in this activity?
Lamb marking is an important part of sheep management across the Wimmera Mallee.
Marking lambs is not just a job that involves cuddling cute little lambs.
Still, it serves a vital function for the lamb’s welfare, including inoculating, castrating, and tail docking to prevent flystrike.
Supplies for lamb marking such as marking rings, vaccination equipment, and cradles can be bought from various agricultural centres in Warracknabeal.
Google Trends reveals Australian searches for 'lamb marking’ typically increase between March and June each year, and decrease around November.
The search term peaked in September 2022 after a petition in New South Wales called for a mandate for pain relief during lamb marking procedures and a phased-out timeline for mulesing.
Searches for 'lamb cradle' follow a similar pattern to the search trends for lamb marking, peaking around mid-year and diminishing in the warmer months.
A lamb cradle is a useful piece of equipment that safely restrains the lamb during marking, allowing for an efficient workflow.
Searches for 'sheep ear tags’ fluctuate constantly over the five years, peaking in June 2022.
In 2022, Victoria completed its final five-year stage rollout of mandatory electronic identification (eID) for sheep, so all sheep must be identified with an electronic National Livestock Identification System tag.
This content is part of a paid partnership with Google to promote Google Trends.