THE number of woolgrowers using pain relief after mulesing sheep has been stagnant at 60 per cent for the past three years.
As a result, RSPCA Australia has launched a campaign targeting woolgrowers to lift their animal welfare practices this lambing marking season.
Data from by the company which introduced the post-operative spray treatment Tri-Solfen, Animal Ethics, reveals about 60 per cent of Merino lambs have pain relief administered after being mulesed.
Queensland has the lowest number of Merino lambs treated with pain relief at 16pc, while 82pc of Merino lambs in South Australia are administered pain relief, 65pc in NSW, 56pc in Western Australia, 72pc in Victoria and 72pc in Tasmania.
RSPCA Australia senior scientific officer Melina Tensen said it was disappointing there had been no change in the number of growers using pain relief in three years.
“We don’t think that is enough,” Ms Tensen said.
“… Australian sheep breeding values allow woolgrowers to select rams with low wrinkle and high fleece weight - so we should be seeing, sooner rather than later, that selection process produce animals that are more flystrike resistant than the previous generation.
“… Wouldn’t that be the sign people are moving towards flystrike resistant sheep if there was a significant reduction in the number of lambs being mulesed?”
About three million sheep a year die as a result of flystrike in Australia, with the controversial practice of mulesing remaining the most effective way of preventing the infestation of blowfly maggots.
Ms Tensen said managing flystrike resistance was about strategic timing of shearing and crutching, flystrike and worm control, and regular flock inspections.
“With any product you buy, as a consumer, you would assume husbandry practices from life to death of that animal is acceptable and does not involved cruelty,” she said.
“Either consumers have no idea, or they have expectations and assume they are met when they buy that product.
“… We are not a vegetarian or vegan organisation, we support the farming of animals for food and fibre, but where that is done it needs to be done humanely.”
The campaign comes as the International Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO), regarded as the global authority on standards for the wool industry, has agreed to review its sheep welfare guidelines to consider making pain relief mandatory, instead of recommended.
“There is obviously murmurings and there have been for a while from those to whom Australia supplies,” Ms Tensen said.
“This is something on the cards and eventually going to happen.”
Last month, the New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries proposed making mulesing illegal under a new animal welfare act which is currently open to consultation.
Last financial year, Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) spent $1.7million in breech flystrike prevention.
The larger investments targeted research on breeding for breech strike resistance, pain relief and the liquid nitrogen application to prevent flystrike.
AWI spokesman Marius Cuming said RSPCA were regularly updated on their investments which were audited by the Australian Veterinary Association.
“Woolgrowers continue to invest heavily in finding an alternative to mulesing with progress being made,” Mr Cuming said.
