Alpacas are farmed for their luxurious fleece and as companion animals. Their welfare needs are often poorly understood, and shearing practices vary significantly in their welfare impact.
Alpaca welfare involves a genuine tension: shearing is both economically necessary and genuinely required for animal welfare in domesticated breeds that cannot shed their own fleece. The welfare question therefore centres on how shearing is done, not whether it is done. Ground restraint methods widely used in commercial shearing cause acute fear responses and physical stress in alpacas. Humane shearing involves trained personnel, calm handling, minimal restraint time, and post-shearing thermal comfort. Social welfare is equally important: alpacas must be kept with companions, as isolation causes severe distress. Alpacas also require adequate space for movement, appropriate nutrition, and regular veterinary attention to teeth and toenails. Better consumer awareness and certification standards could drive meaningful improvement in commercial alpaca welfare.