Mulesing — surgical removal of wool-bearing skin folds around the breech of Merino sheep — is a painful procedure used to prevent flystrike, representing one of wool production's most contested welfare issues.
Mulesing presents a genuine welfare dilemma: the procedure itself causes significant acute pain, but the alternative — flystrike — causes potentially greater suffering and death. The welfare calculus depends on flystrike pressure in the region, management intensity, and the availability of alternatives. Pain relief — meloxicam administered at mulesing — significantly reduces acute suffering and should be standard practice where the procedure is performed. Selective breeding programs producing plain-bodied Merinos without wrinkled skin folds offer a long-term solution that eliminates both mulesing and flystrike susceptibility. Consumer pressure has accelerated industry transition toward alternatives; major retailer commitments have given producers economic incentive to adopt pain relief and breeding programs.