Mulesing alternative on agenda in US
14/11/2008
Veterinarians in the US are to receive information on how to use special clips in the fleeces of Merino lambs to help sheep farmers keep their flocks free from flystrike, but in a more animal-friendly way than muelsing.
Australian Wool Innovation Limited funded research into the subject that an independent team of veterinary scientists from the University of Sydney carried out.
PhD student Michelle Lepherd travelled from Australia in mid-November to present the results of the study at the annual conference of the American College of Veterinary Pathology in Texas.
The study compared the local and systemic health impact of mulesing on young merino lambs with alternative methods of reducing skin wrinkles and increasing bare areas to improve blowfly strike resistance.
The study team included senior lecturer in veterinary microbiology Dr Katrina Bosward, veterinary pathologist Professor Paul Canfield, and veterinary surgeon associate professor, Geraldine Hunt
Study leader Dr Bosward says wrinkled skin, dense thick wool and moisture around the breech and tail areas of Merinos are known to create a “blowfly breeding paradise”.
“To the naked eye, the plastic clips have been shown by us and others to significantly reduce the wool cover around the tail and breech a major factor associated with flystrike in Merinos,” Dr Bosward says.
Share this story:
