Livestock

Mulesing in Merino Sheep and Alternatives

Mulesing is a painful procedure practised in Australia to prevent flystrike in Merino sheep, and its welfare implications have driven significant debate and search for alternatives.

Key Facts

Mulesing involves removal of skin around the breech area of lambs without anaesthetic
Merino sheep with excessive skin wrinkles are particularly susceptible to blowfly flystrike
Flystrike causes severe suffering and death, creating a welfare trade-off with mulesing
New Zealand banned mulesing in 2018 following industry commitment to pain relief and alternatives
Selective breeding for non-wrinkled sheep is gradually reducing the need for mulesing

Welfare Considerations

Mulesing causes acute pain during the procedure and ongoing discomfort during healing. While flystrike is also a serious welfare problem, it can be managed through targeted insecticide application, regular inspection, and selective breeding without resorting to mulesing. Consumer pressure has driven significant progress on eliminating mulesing from wool supply chains.

What You Can Do

Choose wool labelled as non-mulesed or mulesed with pain relief
Support brands committed to non-mulesed wool sourcing
Advocate for mandatory pain relief in any mulesing that continues
Support research into genetic selection for low-wrinkle Merino sheep
Engage with wool certification schemes that include mulesing welfare standards