KANGAROO Island could be free of sheep blowfly by 2026 if a new state government project is successful.
As part of the $3.45-million project, specially-bred male flies will be reared and x-ray sterilised, with six million a week to be released on KI in the project's initial stages.
The sterilised flies would compete with their wild male counterparts to mate with female flies and gradually reduce the number of fertile eggs produced.
A cost benefit analysis has found that sheep blowfly on KI could save sheep producers an estimated $88m over 25 years, according to the state government.
Current methods sheep producers use to prevent flystrike include chemical application, mulesing, changes to shearing and crutching times and long-term selective breeding to reduce breech wrinkle.
Lucilia cuprina, otherwise known as the Australian Sheep Blowfly, is the species of blowfly that causes about 90 per cent of all strikes and is often copper or metallic green in colour.
Flystrike occurs when female blowflies lay eggs in the fleece of the sheep, with the resulting maggots feeding on the flesh of the sheep and also causing chemical damage due to the ammonia they excrete.
Prevention, management and treatment is estimated to cost the Australian sheep industry about $280m a year.
Primary Industries Minister David Basham said the first sterile fly releases on KI were expected to take place in late 2022.
"The 18-month pilot project will establish the first ever mobile facility for rearing sterile sheep blowfly and deliver the first large scale release of sterile sheep blowfly," he said.
"The initial releases would involve about six million flies per week and focus on the eastern side of KI, including Penneshaw and Dudley Peninsula, covering about 650 square kilometres.
"Eradicating sheep blowfly form KI would see wool and sheep meat producers gain market access and economic advantage.
"That is without counting the increase in production and possible market premium for wool and meat."
Mr Basham said the eradication of blowflies from KI would further enhance the region's reputation for clean and green food and fibre production.
He said the project team were finalising the design of a mobile facility and site on KI.
Turkey Lane Merinos owner John Symons said he was excited about the potential outcomes of the blowfly eradication project and hoped it would be successful.
He said a similar project had been mooted on the Island in the 1980s.
"I think it's a great idea and certainly worth seeing how it goes," he said.
"We've had a reasonable amount of trouble with flies that are not even that green, but still do a lot of damage to sheep."
Mr Symons said the stud endeavoured to breed wrinkle-free sheep to help with flystrike prevention, but mulesing was still the best preventative measure for them.
"We mules because it is a scientifically-proven fact that it the best single fly preventative measure that we've got available to us," he said.
"We try to breed wrinkle-free sheep.
"We have trouble getting the labour to crutch when it's the appropriate time and we are not fans of using chemical."
Researchers have suggested that effective eradication of sheep blowfly would be achieved after four years of the large-scale releases starting next year.
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