VICTORIA – Australian wool industry bodies have distanced themselves from a breech modification technique some growers have deemed an effective alternative to mulesing.
Members of the Australian Superfine Wool Growers Association (ASWGA) were recently shown how rubber rings – typically used to castrate lambs – could remove excess skin from a sheep’s rear, helping prevent parasitic infection.
Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) and WoolProducers Australia have reportedly expressed concern about the publicity this method is getting, with the latter’s CEO, Jo Hall, telling Sheep Central: “The concern is that introducing another form of breech modification may not be acceptable to supply chains and only serve to further erode confidence in Australian wool.”
