Farm Animals

Sheep Mulesing and Welfare

Mulesing — the surgical removal of wool-bearing skin folds from merino sheep — is one of the most contested practices in the wool industry. Alternatives exist and are being adopted.

Key Facts

Mulesing removes strips of skin from around the breech area without anesthesia
It was developed to prevent flystrike, a potentially fatal parasite condition
Australia is the last major wool-producing country to continue mulesing widely
Pain relief during and after mulesing is not universally applied
Genetic selection and other management alternatives can replace mulesing

Welfare Considerations

Mulesing without anesthesia causes acute severe pain from cutting through skin tissue. Post-operative pain lasts for days without pain management. The wound takes weeks to heal and carries infection risk. While preventing the suffering of flystrike, the practice substitutes one form of suffering for another. Genetic selection for plain-bodied sheep and targeted insecticide treatments can control flystrike without mulesing, but require long-term breeding investment.

What You Can Do

Choose wool certified as non-mulesed or sourced from countries where mulesing is prohibited
Support wool brands committed to phasing out mulesing
Advocate for pain relief requirements as a minimum standard
Support the New Zealand model where mulesing is already banned
Reduce merino wool consumption until non-mulesed alternatives are mainstream