Battling the Blowfly
Reducing flystrike is a research priority for the Australian wool industry. Its research body, AWI, is developing a range of tools that effectively care for the health of sheep and eliminate the problem of flystrike
Flystrike costs the Australian sheep and wool industry $280 million a year through $83 million in lost income and $197 million in costs. Of all the forms of flystrike, breech strike represents the greatest loss ($147 million), followed by body strike ($103 million) and pizzle strike ($30 million).
There are no easy solutions to what is an historical problem of preventing and managing the damage caused by flystrike. In the past 80 years, a great deal of time, effort and research dollars have been invested to advance knowledge and help find the best ways to combat the problem.
The industry has recently stepped up its quest for new management practices and technologies that further improve animal health and welfare, and millions of dollars are being spent to improve prevention and control methods for flystrike. The industry's long-term aim is to continue to lead the world in the use of effective and efficient animal management systems.
AWI is taking a wide-ranging approach to the issue to ensure all avenues of control are considered - from the blowfly to the sheep. Every aspect is being addressed from a practical angle in an endeavour to provide the industry with a range of tools that effectively care for the health of sheep and eliminate the problem of flystrike.
Based on existing technology, mulesing and tail docking are the most practical, effective and humane methods of breech flystrike prevention currently available to Australian woolgrowers. Without these management tools a large number of sheep would die in years when conditions are conducive to flystrike.
The industry's commitment to phase out mulesing by 2010 is a very public declaration that new and even more effective methods of maintaining animal health will be developed.
While research and development activities never carry a guarantee of success, the development of new technology, new approaches and a continued commitment to animal welfare place the Australian wool industry in a strong position.
Progress with a number of alternatives has been positive and AWI expects at least one alternative to be available during 2007.
The approach adopted by AWI in spreading its efforts over a number of areas is all about improving long-term outcomes for the industry. In all probability there is no one simple answer to the issue, rather it will be a combination of improved technology, breeding and animal management that will provide a way to better control the impact of blowflies on the Australian wool industry.
Projects being funded range from the development of animal-friendly replacements for mulesing through to genetic solutions, biological methods for blowfly control and improvements in the use of controls available through integrated pest management.
More information: Animal health and alternatives for mulesing.
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