News Flash

AWI research holds hope for diazinon

08 Jan '07

3 min read

Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) is aware that the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) is likely to restrict the way diazinon is used on sheep because of occupational health and safety concerns. AWI has recently undertaken work aimed at enabling cage dipping of sheep with diazinon to continue, even though the APVMA looks likely to suspend traditional dipping and jetting using diazinon.

Diazinon is an important pesticide for the Australian wool industry in the control of lice, particularly through wet dipping of sheep. Earlier research showed that diazinon applied by hand jetting, shower dipping, automatic spray race or plunge dipping, potentially exposed workers to unacceptably high levels of the chemical even when all recommended protective clothing is used.

However, specialised cage dipping systems were not tested. As cage dipping was developed to be a safer dipping system AWI recently engaged the services of Mr Greg Richards, the cage dip designer, to undertake a field trial in Victoria. As part of the research about 5,000 sheep were dipped over 2 days, and residues from parts of the operator's clothing were analysed for exposure to the chemical.

The results convincingly showed the cage dipping method is about 100 times less hazardous than any other previously assessed method. The APVMA has indicated that it is prepared to consider a permit to enable dipping of sheep with diazinon to continue using the cage dipping system.

More Australian Wool Innovation Limited News... More Textiles News - Australia...