Numnuts, the dual-action tool that delivers fast-acting pain relief while applying rubber rings during lamb castration and tail docking, has now appeared on the shelves of rural stores in preparation for the 2023 lamb marking season.
For the first time, NumOcaine, the local anaesthetic used with the device, is available for over-the-counter sale, having recently been rescheduled to an S5 medicine by the TGA and APVMA.
As a result, farmers have the option to purchase Numnuts and NumOcaine directly from the supplier, via their vet, or at participating Nutrien, CRT, Elders and other rural stores, including key independents.
Numnuts general manager Dougal Deans said this increased availability and ease of purchase is a vital step in improving on-farm welfare and comes at a time when lamb husbandry practices are under increased scrutiny from animal welfare groups at home and abroad.
“Consumers are increasingly viewing the absence of pain relief as inhumane and this is reflected at the supermarket checkout, as a growing trend is to only buy meat and wool products that demonstrate improved animal welfare. With changes to EU regulations on imported animal products predicted, this could impact export as well as domestic markets,” he said.
Scientific studies show that NumOcaine, which starts acting within one minute of delivery, has a significant effect during the period of most acute pain – the first hour after the rubber rings are applied, when the pain of restricted blood flow (ischemia) is felt the most.
Some animal scientists have likened this period to the initial pain of a crush injury, emphasising why NumOcaine is a gold standard in pain relief, especially when used in combination with a slower acting analgesic (anti-inflammatory).
The Numnuts ring marking device and the accompanying NumOcaine delivery system were designed and developed in Australia with funding from the MLA and Australian Wool Innovation, while being clinically evaluated by CSIRO and the University of Melbourne.
Its development is a response to 30 years of veterinary research in New Zealand, Australia and the UK, which identified injectable local anaesthetic as the preferred solution for pain relief for ring marking.
Numnuts’ early success led to an agri-innovation award from the major UK supermarket Tesco, ahead of 140 competitors from 42 countries. Last year, it was successfully tested and then introduced to Pāmu farms in New Zealand. Pāmu (which means ‘to farm’ in Māori) is the brand name of Landcorp Farming, a state-owned enterprise producing milk, beef, lamb, wool, venison, wood and more on a string of farms.
Since the 2019 launch of Numnuts in Australia, effective pain relief in the form of a local anaesthetic has been delivered to over three million lambs during ring marking.
