R&D update
New bare breech sheep breeding program
Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) has backed a project which will investigate the breeding of sheep which are bare in the breech, an area which is highly prone to flystrike. If the program is a success it could produce sheep which do not need mulesing to protect them against the condition.
AWI general manager of wool production, Ian Rogan said: “We are dedicating a huge amount of resources and energy to meeting our commitment of phasing mulesing out by 2010 and we are confident that we will achieve that target through a combination of breeding and non-surgical treatments”.
Mr Rogan said one of the main objectives of the project is to determine how long selective breeding to find a sheep resistant to flystrike might take.
“The research will look at how many crosses you would need to complete to produce sheep that would have the bare breech trait.”
“While doing this, the trial will also measure the effect on all other productivity traits such as wool quality and sheep fitness, to see what trade-offs there are in producing sheep which are bare in the breech. From here we will also be in a position to recommend ways to avoid potential trade-offs should they arise.”
“The results of the trial will directly answer the questions we are receiving from breeders on the potential of the project.”