Ultra-fine Wool

Sheep bred especially for ultra-fine wool are kept indoors 24-hours a day for up to five years. This is justified as a way to protect the ‘quality’ of their wool from the elements.

Chronic stress is evident by their continual chewing of their wooden slat fencing and other repetitive behaviours.

Despite a Code of Practice stating that sheep unable to adapt to indoor conditions should be returned to grazing, this rarely occurs, because the definition of ‘unable to adapt’ is too vague.

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Mulesing

Mulesing is performed annually on over 20 million Australian Merino lambs. It involves taking a crescent-shaped slice of skin (5-7 cm) from either buttock (the ‘breach’) of a sheep, without anaesthetic, and results in abnormal behaviour for up to three days.

Despite industry’s promise to phase-out mulesing by 2010, many retailers throughout Europe have boycotted Australian wool due to overwhelming consumer concern.

More humane alternatives to surgical mulesing, such as intradermal injections prompting fleece to fall away from the breach (permanently) through a process of necrosis, are currently not receiving the support they require from Australia’s wool industry.


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