Information for woolgrowers

Taking the initiative

Through Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), Australian woolgrowers and the Australian Government are investing more than $7 million annually in animal health and welfare research, including better sheep blowfly control and flystrike prevention measures. The sheep and wool industry recognises the need for alternative flystrike prevention measures and has committed to phasing out mulesing by 2010.

The Australian sheep and wool industry continues to promote and practice world's best practice in animal husbandry and welfare.

For more information about what AWI is doing to minimise flystrike in the Australian sheep flock view:

* Beyond the Bale: Road to 2010 Update
  Read the latest updates on mulesing
  alternatives (August 2008, 1.3Mb pdf).

* Beyond the Bale: Road to 2010 Supplement
  Read the latest updates on mulesing
  alternatives (June 2008, 1.3Mb pdf).

* Progress of mulesing alternatives
  Find out more information on the progress of
  AWI's R&D on mulesing alternatives
  (August 2008, 126Kb pdf).

* Road to 2010 - Fact Sheet (545Kb pdf)

* Battling the Blowfly - How AWI is helping
  develop tools to minimise flystrike.

* The AWI website.

A United Industry
The wool industry has united behind the Australian Wool and Sheep Industry Taskforce to counter PETA's untruthful and misleading campaign. Factual information and support is being provided to international and domestic retailers and consumers including information about Australia's world's best animal welfare practices.

What can you do?
Woolgrowers are urged to unite behind the wool industry. Find out more about how you can get involved.

Research underway ranges from the development of a protein application that has the same effect as mulesing, to new generation insecticides, investigating the blowfly genome and biocontrol agents.

Battling the Blowfly provides the latest update on how AWI is helping develop a range of tools to minimise flystrike in the Australian sheep flock.