Animal Welfare Developments
In Australia, mulesing of Merino sheep is a common practice to reduce the incidence of flystrike. It has been attacked by animal rights and animal welfare activists, with PETA running a campaign against the practice in 2004. The PETA campaign targeted U.S. consumers by using graphic billboards in New York City. PETA threatened U.S. manufacturers with television advertisements showing their companies' support of mulesing. Fashion retailers including Abercrombie & Fitch Co., Gap Inc and Nordstrom and George (UK) stopped stocking Australian Merino wool products.
The Animal Welfare Advisory Committee to the New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture Code of recommendations and minimum standards for the welfare of Sheep, considers mulesing a "special technique" which is performed on some Merino sheep at a small number of farms in New Zealand.
In 2008, mulesing once again became a topical issue in Sweden, with a documentary on mulesing shown on Swedish television. This was followed by allegations of bribery and intimidation by Australian government and wool industry officials; the allegations were disputed by the wool industry. Several European clothing retailers, including H&M, stopped stocking products made with Merino wool from Australia.
New strains of Merinos that do not require mulesing are being promoted in South Australia. 'Thin-skinned' sheep from western Victoria are also being promoted as a solution.
Read more about this topic: Merino
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