This was the message today from chairman of Australian Wool Innovation Limited, Brian van Rooyen, and two of the company's sheep and wool research and development experts.

"It's clear from the results that clips will prove to be an important fly strike management tool for a majority of Australian woolgrowers from 2009 onwards," Mr van Rooyen said.

Day 90 results from a major two-year trial conducted on four wool-growing properties in three states will soon be submitted to Australian Veterinary Journal for publication and peer review.

The study, designed to scientifically evaluate the performance of clips compared with mulesing, demonstrated that after 90 days clips came out winners in four key animal management areas.

These were:

• significantly less pain and stress for clipped lambs compared with mulesed lambs;

• lower mortality for clipped lambs compared with mulesed lambs;

• greater, faster live body weight gains for clipped lambs compared with mulesed lambs; and

• clips worked as well as mulesing in flystrike prevention when used with complementary animal husbandry practices such as jetting.

Results from the trials, which began last spring on properties in South Australia, Victoria and NSW, are being recorded and statistically analysed at key stages into the future.

AWI project manager for blowfly control, Ian Evans, said today he expected more positive data would emerge as the two-year study progressed.

"Further measurements will be made during the next 15 months, though these 90-day results from the targeted clip 'positive control' study are a very significant outcome for industry," he said.