Wool and mulesing

Question

1. Major global brands like Hugo Boss have committed to being 100% mulesing-free by 2025-2030. Has AWI conducted a formal economic risk assessment on the potential loss of market share as more retailers move to exclude mulesed wool? 2. Following years of investment, why haven't failed and costly distractions like vaccine research been defunded in favour of investing directly in practical, proven on-farm breeding transition strategies to resolve the issue of flystrike? 3. What percentage of levy funds in the 2025/26 budget are allocated specifically to educating farmers on how to manage breech flystrike without mulesing? 4. With shorn wool production at its lowest in over 100 years and consumer sentiment shifting, how does AWI justify the 'reputational risk' of continued mulesing to the long-term survival of the Australian wool industry? 5. Will Australian Wool Innovation be investigating how many wool producers have moved their enterprises to modern plain-bodied flystrike resistant Merinos? If this is not being measured, why not? 6. Has Australian Wool Innovation set targets for non-mulesing product growth? If not, why not? 7. Does Australian Wool Innovation have funding allocated for the urgent development of a national strategy on live lamb cutting (mulesing)? 8. SimpliFlyTM is a one-day workshop to help wool farmers reduce the incidence and impact of flystrike on their flocks and profits. How many SimpliFlyTM workshops have been held to date? a) How many wool farmers have attended SimpliFlyTM workshops to date? 9. The AmpliFlyTM program relies on private advisors charging a 'fee-for-service' to help growers stop mulesing. Given that AWI has trained only 25 advisors nationally for this, how can a wool farmer in a remote region access this expertise without prohibitive costs? 10. AWI highlights that 94% of participants feel more confident to manage without mulesing after a workshop. Why hasn't this 'confidence' translated into a significant increase in the national percentage of Non-Mulesed (NM) and Ceased Mulesed (CM) wool declarations in the National Wool Declaration? Currently only about 21% of the Australian Merino clip is declared NM/CM. 11. The budget for Sheep Health and Welfare dropped from $1.4 million to $1.0 million in the most recent reporting period. How does AWI justify cutting welfare and extension funds while global market pressure to end mulesing is at its highest? 12. In AWI's Program Achievement Reports, it is reported that only 25 advisors have been trained through AmpliFlyTM to assist woolgrowers in moving to a non-mulesed enterprise. Can you provide a list of how many of these advisors are active in each state, particularly in Tasmania and Western Australia where event numbers are lowest? 13. For this season to date, only about 21% of the Australian Merino clip is currently declared non-mulesed (Non-Mulesed or Ceased Mulesed). Given that 55% of South Africa's Merino wool clip is certified non-mulesed wool, what specific steps is AWI taking to ensure Australia does not lose its 'premium' status to more welfare-compliant competitors by 2027? 14. AWI claims the Flystrike Extension Program workshops achieved 94% increased confidence in managing flystrike without mulesing, yet the National Wool Declaration for non-mulesed Merino wool remains low at only about 21%.How do you explain this discrepancy?

Answer

Please see PDF attachment.

Documents

• Question with answer (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
• SQ26-000588.pdf (opens in a new tab)