Field evaluation of wool bale

In an emergency animal disease (EAD) outbreak, it will be important to trace animals and animal products backwards and forwards from centres of infection. AWI commissioned a study to assess how readily wool could be traced through the value chain. A prototype bale spraying unit was designed and developed to spray bales exposed to an EAD with a decontaminating solution, thereby reducing the spread of disease by contaminated bales. This project formally evaluated the unit’s utility across three different Victorian wool-handling sites, focusing on how the unit handled transportation, the unit’s integration into wool stores and its effectiveness.