ClassiFly™ workshop: Breeding for flystrike resistance
AWI held its first ClassiFly™ workshop last month aimed at woolgrowers looking to improve their understanding of what is involved in breeding sheep that are more naturally resistant to flystrike.
Improving a sheep’s natural resistance to flystrike through breeding reduces woolgrowers’ reliance on chemical use, mulesing and crutching. These activities are generally the most labour intensive and costly tools, so reducing reliance on these can improve productivity and profitability, along with improving the lifetime welfare of sheep.
A ClassiFly™ workshop is suitable for any grower that is looking to improve their understanding of what is involved in breeding sheep that are resistant to flystrike, regardless of their climate, and operating and husbandry environments.
The one-day workshop is designed to increase woolgrower knowledge and skills in classing and selection strategies for improved flystrike resistance in both mulesed and non-mulesed sheep.
During the workshop, woolgrowers work through practical activities that enable them to leave with a written breeding objective, specific to their property, that helps further focus their breeding and selection decisions on traits that improve overall animal welfare, profitability and productivity.
The one-day workshop is delivered by AWI-accredited advisors in partnership with the AWI Extension Networks in each state. 
A full house at the recent ClassiFly™ workshop near Gilgandra, NSW.
Following a series of previous pilot workshops to fine tune their delivery, the first ClassiFly™ was held in August in Curban on the central-west plains of NSW.
Run by AWI Extension NSW, the workshop was attended by 26 producers and delivered by Sally Martin of SheepMetriX.
Participants rated the workshop 7.84/10. 79% said they learnt something new while the remaining 21% said it reinforced what they already knew.
To find out when there is going to be a workshop available near you or to register your interest in a ClassiFly™ workshop in your region, contact your state AWI Extension Network and sign up to their free newsletters. For contact details and information about AWI Extension Networks visit wool.com/networks.
More information: www.wool.com/classifly
This article appeared in the Spring 2025 edition of AWI’s Beyond the Bale magazine that was published in September 2025. Reproduction of the article is encouraged.
