From the 1st July 2020 pain relief for mulesing sheep will be mandatory under legislation in Victoria.
This means that a pain relief product registered for use on sheep by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) must be administered from next month.
VFF Livestock Group President, Leonard Vallance was quoted in Stock & Land’s, ‘VIC sheep producers to use Pain relief from July 1’, saying “over 90 per cent of Victorian sheep farmers are already using pain relief when mulesing, but these new regulations mean it will be mandatory for all farmers next month.”
The inclusion of pain relief during the mulesing process will result in improved animal welfare outcomes for the lambs which are mulesed and significant production and economic benefits for sheep businesses.
Producers are encouraged to keep thorough records of their husbandry practices and products used including receipt of purchase, product name, batch number, and expiry date and dosage rate.
Victorian farmers have the opportunity to register for a free online webinar on June 25 hosted by Dr John Webb-Ware from the University of Melbourne that will cover what farmers are required do to comply with the new regulations.
Farmers can register their interest to the webinar ‘Mulesing 2020 and beyond: What is the future of breech strike control’.
To access more information, please refer to Victorian Farmers Federation resources.