Mulesing pain relief for sheep set to be mandated
Victoria is on track to become the first state nationwide to introduce mandatory pain relief for mulesing.
VICTORIA is on track to become the first state to introduce mandatory pain relief for mulesing.
The Victorian Farmers Federation is leading the regulatory push in lock-step with the Victorian Government in revised animal welfare legislation.
Pain relief has been available for more than a decade and is widely used in the industry, but remains voluntary.
VFF livestock group president Leonard Vallance said mulesing remained the most effective method for controlling breech flystrike.
“To deliver the best possible animal welfare outcomes, we have proactively advocated for mandatory pain relief when mulesing,” he said.
“We received a strong indication from wool producers that they want to retain the ability to mules sheep, and that over 90 per cent of Victorian producers are already using pain relief when mulesing.
“The VFF Livestock Council made a unanimous decision to lead the industry in mandating pain relief and the feedback we’ve received from our members, farmers and industry commentators has been extremely positive.”
HAVE YOUR SAY: Should mulesing pain relief be mandatory? Tell us in the comments below.
Mr Vallance said the draft regulation, which will be available for public consultation next month, would stipulate that any mulesing procedure on sheep must be accompanied by an approved pain relief medication.
Wool Producers Australia and Sheep Producers Australia have also backed the VFF’s push to mandate mulesing pain relief.
The Australian Superfine Wool Growers’ Association is surveying its members on the topic and will discuss the issue at its annual general meeting on July 29.
A survey conducted by Australian Wool Innovation in February found 83 per cent of all Merino producers that mulesed lambs provided the animals with pain relief.
Leading the pack were Tasmanian producers with 90 per cent applying the products, followed by NSW, where 88 per cent used pain relief.
The take-up rate was lowest in Western Australia, where 71 per cent of producers used pain relief at mulesing. Only 30 per cent of Merino producers choose not to mules.