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Michael Jackson
Managing Director
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March 2003 sees an important breakthrough in the quest to maintain Australia's reputation for clean, white wool. For the first time, wool growers will have access to a test that screens for possible contamination of merino wool sale lots by dark and/or medullated fibres originating from contact with exotic sheep breeds.
The Managing Director of AWTA Ltd, Mr Michael Jackson said: "Research by AWTA Ltd and the South Australian Research & Development Institute (SARDI) has demonstrated that contamination from this source can be detected in the core-samples routinely used for Yield, Micron & Vegetable Matter testing." |
KEY POINTS :
- In March 2003 AWTA Ltd will introduce a service to screen for dark and medullated fibre contamination from exotic sheep.
- The cost of the service will be $150+GST.
- The test will use core samples from sale lots.
- The test uses the CSIRO Dark Fibre Detector, originally developed for testing wool tops.
- Growers can request the service through their broker or agent.
- Research, funded by AWI, is underway to reduce the cost.
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"These samples will be screened using existing technology, the Dark Fibre Detector, originally developed by CSIRO for measuring contamination in wool tops".
"This test is not the answer to all the industry's problems but it is a great start" he said. " It will cost $150 plus GST, due to the very labour-intensive nature of the test - it takes over 5 man-hours to complete. Two technicians visually examine two specimens, each of 10 grams, of washed core sample using the Dark Fibre Detector to identify the dark and medullated fibres present. These results will be issued as Test Reports and we will report to 4 levels: whether specimens contained >10 dark fibres (df) per test specimen (ts), 6-10 df/ts, 1-5 df/ts, or No Fibres Detected. A similar convention will be used for reporting medullated fibres".
"Woolgrowers, through AWI, are already funding a number of research projects with the objective of developing more efficient, automated testing instruments", he said. "AWTA Ltd's R&D Team, along with SARDI and CSIRO are actively participating in this research. Already, promising developments have occurred, but it will be some time before it is known if they can be introduced commercially. In the meantime, this test will fill the existing void".
"The problem of fibre contamination from exotic sheep breeds exists now, and growers who are attempting to minimise this on-farm have no service that provides them with any information about whether or not they are succeeding. They are required to identify lots at risk and these are heavily discounted. Hence, we are introducing this low volume service (initially 150 tests/week nationally) to give concerned growers that tool now".
"Growers wishing to utilise this service can request it through their broker or agent. Initially it will be provided in the Company's Sydney Laboratory but will be decentralised to Melbourne and Fremantle in the coming months". |