AN INTRADERMAL injection is no silver bullet for the replacement of surgical mulesing, according to Australian Wool Innovation flystrike project manager Ian Evans.

Mr Evans said despite promising results on individual sheep, there was still a lot more work to be done before commercialisation of the Cabbage Technologies's SkinTraction intradermal technology.

Addressing the recent Balmoral Merino sire evaluation field day at Cavendish, Mr Evans said on the current timetable, the earliest Cabbage Technologies could expect registration by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority was early next year.

SkinTraction involves an injection of the chemical sodium lauryl sulphate into the hindquarters of a lamb to denature protein, resulting in tissue necrosis that leaves a bare skin area devoid of wool growth.

Mr Evans said from an animal welfare point of view the SkinTraction treatments were providing some encouraging results.

He said using the current technology and applicator, a treatment would require between 11 and 16 applications to replicate surgical mulesing.

Mr Evans said one of the difficulties with the applicator was that it didn't have the flexibility of an operator who could use mulesing shears to adjust the shape of the skin removal to suit each sheep.

But Mr Evans said a fully trained operator could treat lambs at 80 per cent of the rate of a trained mulesing contractor.

The treatment was expected to cost about $1 a lamb.

Although sodium lauryl sulphate chemical was a relatively inexpensive and safe compound used in toothpaste, shampoos and cosmetics, Mr Evans said much of the cost related to the need for the delivery of the chemical in a robust, sterile package.

Mr Evans said AWI had no share in the SkinTraction technology but was helping with the trials necessary for its registration and commercialisation.