Media Release
AWI confirms the facts
19 March 2008
The Chairman of Australian Wool Innovation Ian McLachlan has re-affirmed to the wool industry that AWI is confident of finding alternatives to surgical mulesing by 2010.
The Australian wool industry made a commitment on 8th November 2004 to phase out surgical mulesing by 2010. This commitment has been well communicated to international retailers world wide, and the Australian Wool and Sheep Industry Taskforce with AWI are working to deliver it.
Speaking on ABC TV’s ‘Landline’, Mr McLachlan said AWI is working as fast as it can to develop the alternatives for Australian woolgrowers to replace surgical mulesing.
"We are absolutely flat-out trying to come up with new solutions to give the growers every opportunity to meet that commitment," said Mr McLachlan.
For the record, both Mr Ian McLachlan and Dr Chris Abell gave all the Patent and Intellectual Property rights of the ‘clips’ to the industry for its benefit in 2005.
The intradermals that AWI has trialled as part of its research and development program have not progressed to a point where they meet animal welfare and performance requirements and AWI is now focussing on supporting a commercial company to take an intradermal product to the market.
Results from a recent survey, that was undertaken as part of the AWI settlement with PETA, show that woolgrowers have responded positively.
The Department of Agriculture and Food WA (DAFWA) conducted the national survey of 1410 sheep producers, across Australia in February 2008, and found that 11.5% of the Australian wool clip will be from non-mulesed sheep.
The other key findings of the survey are that:
- 32% of lambs born in 2008 will not be mulesed
- 23% of producers will not mules lambs in 2008
- 14.8% of producers have a breeding strategy that involves sourcing bare-breeched rams.
“Breeding for bare-breeches and low wrinkle is critical and I am very pleased with the recent national woolgrower survey results that show that 14.8% of growers already have a strategy for breeding and obtaining bare-breech sheep and rams," said Mr McLachlan.
“Genetics is the long term sustainable answer and this is certainly what the retailer customers are looking for in the longer term.”
Mr McLachlan said whilst it is critical to get the alternatives to the market place as soon as possible, growers are innovatively managing the situation as best they can. This survey is a benchmark and will need a further survey in six months time to continue to map the results going forward.
AWI fully supports the use of pain relief by woolgrowers through to 2010. “The use of pain relief is available to woolgrowers and many growers are taking the opportunity to use this product. AWI supports pain relief for use by woolgrowers but it is important that woolgrowers understand the conditions of using this product.”
Mr McLachlan said the industry still has three lambings to go before 2010, and AWI’s research and development programs are working fast to be in front of this timeframe.
AWI, its management and staff remain fully committed to delivering on the industry commitment to phase out surgical mulesing by 2010.
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Media contact: David Dawson 0428 782 266