Mulesing is a painful surgical procedure performed on Merino sheep to prevent flystrike. Animal welfare campaigns have accelerated reform, but non-mulesed certification remains contested.
Mulesing causes acute pain during the procedure and prolonged pain during wound healing over several weeks. Without pain relief, it represents a significant welfare harm affecting millions of sheep annually. The industry justification is that mulesing prevents flystrike, which causes even greater suffering, making it a harm reduction measure in the absence of effective alternatives. However, effective flystrike alternatives including selective breeding, pour-on treatments, and targeted monitoring are now available, making pain-relief-free mulesing increasingly indefensible. The shift toward non-mulesed wool certification, while imperfect, creates market pressure for broader welfare improvement in the Australian sheep industry.