To access international markets for wool, Australian producers will need to produce wool that allows processors to meet increasingly stringent environmental standards for pesticide residues in effluent from wool-scouring plants. Currently, producers have only limited information with which to estimate residues on shorn wool. A computer program has been developed to calculate the expected concentration of pesticide in greasy wool at shearing, following the use of common treatments for lice and flystrike. The program is intended for use by wool producers, agricultural advisers and agricultural pesticide retailers. The program is based on a model that has been validated by comparison with the residue concentrations in core samples from pesticide depletion experiments, additional experimental data not used to derive the original model, and comparison with survey results from known applications. The program was produced as a stand-alone Microsoft Windows program and as an Internet program. The program calculates the expected residue and the range of values likely to occur according to the product used, time of use, method of application and location of the farm. These values are compared with a target residue value, such as the European Eco-label, according to the proposed market. The program allows producers to select appropriate treatments for lice and flies in both short and long wool to meet specified markets.
