The scarcity of cutters makes wool producers looking for alternative ways to harvest wool. It could be the biological diversion.
Key points:
- New tests have shown promise for “chemical deviation”
- The wool industry has invested $ 1.4 million in development
- Farmers are desperate for new ways to harvest wool amid the shortage of cutters
Biological or chemical deflection has been going on for more than a decade, but recent tests suggest it may actually be viable.
The Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) has just invested $ 1.4 million in a three-year project with the University of Adelaide and says the technology “has real potential to change the game”.
A compound creates a weak spot in the wool fiber, making it easier to harvest without losing all the fleece in the paddock.
A uniform wool coat that stays under the weakened staple area on a sheep treated for chemical stripping. (Supplied)
Professor Emeritus Phil Hynd of the Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at the University of Adelaide said they needed to find the ideal dose to remove the fleece easily and decide whether to deliver it as a feed additive. an injection or water. .
“What we’ve found is a completely different approach to previous attempts like Bioclip,” he said.
“Our focus is to create a weak zone in the wool, allow the wool beneath it to grow for several weeks and then harvest it with a machine that does not require any skill to use or use an automated machine.”
Agricultural tests “show potential”
Initial farm testing in 2021 with merino sheep showed that they were able to hold the fleece after receiving treatment.
“We were surprised to see that the wool was kept in the sheep in normal grazing conditions for up to 10 weeks,” Professor Hynd said.
Sheep grazed in small meadows under normal conditions with much movement in and out of the gardens.
“And there was no difference between treated and untreated sheep in wool loss,” he said.
“That was the moment of the light bulb and we realized that this was a real possibility.”
Laurie says wool picking is a major priority for the industry. (ABC Rural: Lara Webster)
Australian Wool Innovation President Jock Laurie said it was critical that the industry continue to invest in short-term shear training as well as robotic technology and biological diversion.
“We are willing to invest large sums of money in this if we can find ways to give producers options to be able to get the wool out,” he said.
Wool producers are desperately looking for alternatives
Mr. Cay says he supports research on biological deviation. (ABC Rural: Josh Becker)
The cost of slaughtering has skyrocketed for producers such as Oliver Cay, who manages merino sheep in Bungarby, south-east New South Wales.
Shear costs have risen more than 80 percent in recent years, he said.
“Three years ago, I was doing a full contract job for $ 7.50 [per sheep]then it went to $ 9, then to $ 11, and now this year it was $ 13.70 for a full contract job, ”he said.
COVID meant that New Zealand cutters could not come to Australia, and this has led to a severe shortage, which is driving the push to find alternatives.
“As the pressure comes to continue to increase shear wages, all sorts of alternatives will have opened up that have been in the basket too expensive.”
Challenges ahead
The wool industry is supporting biological defleege as an alternative to shear. (ABC Rural: Angus Verley)
There are still important challenges ahead for biological defleege, especially the engineering issues surrounding wool harvesting after treatment.
More research is also needed to analyze animal welfare, breeding problems and whether the treatment will work on cross-breed sheep, which means shearers will not be out of work for a while.
Professor Hynd said some research still needed to be done to show that chemical diversion was a viable alternative.
“It’s exciting, it has real potential, but it’s not here yet … you’ll need cutters for the next five years.”