Managing Flystrike
Flystrike is a major risk to all sheep producers, costing the Australian sheep industry an estimated $280million per year. Mulesing has been used for many years to reduce flystrike, but market pressures are challenging its use.The industry is now undergoing rapid change with many producers replacing mulesing with alternative flystrike management techniques.
This website provides current best practice on flystrike management for producers wishing to move away from mulesing and still maintain a low risk of flystrike.
A recent AWI survey of 1407 randomly selected sheep producers indicated that 24% of Merino lambs will not be mulesed in 2009 compared to 2% in a Sheep CRC survey undertaken in 2005. In total 54% of all lambs born in 2009 will not be mulesed. This is a significant increase and shows the rate of change that is occurring within industry.
The 2009 survey also indicated that 18% of respondents total wool clip, from all microns and types, would be from non-mulesed sheep in 2008/09, compared to 11.5% in the previous year. The
AWEX National Wool Declaration is available to allow producers to demonstrate the status of their wool to the marketplace.
A decision to cease mulesing will require changes to both management and breeding decisions within the sheep flock, particularly for Merinos. While management changes such as crutching and jetting times and segmenting ewe flocks according to flystrike risk can be made quickly, the long term goal of breeding sheep resistant to flystrike will take some years.
An integrated approach using short term management to protect sheep from flystrike while breeding a more resistant flock will enable producers to effectively manage flystrike if they choose to reduce or cease mulesing.
The Sheep CRC Information Nucleus flocks are now all non-mulesed, and with their locations at 8 sites across Australia from low to high rainfall, this has given the Sheep CRC important experience in managing non-mulesed flocks. The Information Nucleus site plan and calendar for flystrike management is available to producers and provides a valuable starting point for flystrike resistance planning.
Sheep Genetics has now released Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBV) for Early Breech Wrinkle which will assist in the long term goal of breeding sheep resistant to flystrike.
Producers now have the option to segment their ewe flock on the basis of breech wrinkle and manage mobs differently to ensure continued production and flystrike protection whilst the breeding program for increased flystrike resistance proceeds.
The other web pages provide you with information on:
CJ Hawkins Homestead, University of New England, Armidale NSW 2351