THE decision whether or not to end surgical mulesing of sheep will ultimately and rightfully be decided in the market place.

If the world wool trade and their manufacturing and retail clients are genuine about their demand for unmulesed wool, the market place will reflect that in its pricing of raw wool.

Any price differentials were more than likely to appear as a discount for mulesed wool rather than a premium for unmulesed.

It is very easy to get caught up in the political fight as to whether or not the Australian wool industry did the right thing to a 2010 deadline to end mulesing.

But what really matters is the profitability and sustainability of wool producers.

Wool growers will decide their future in producing Merino wool, but to make those decisions they must be kept fully informed, and that includes the likely impact on the market of mulesed versus unmulesed wool.

Australian Wool Innovation has an important role to play in those decisions.

And while some of the AWI directors have strong views about promoting the use of pain relief treatments with mulesing, those views must not be allowed to shield wool growers from the reality of the market.