Mulesing in Merino Sheep: A Painful Practice Under Scrutiny

Mulesing — removing skin folds from around sheep's hindquarters — is one of the most controversial welfare practices in the wool industry.

Key Facts

Mulesing involves surgically removing strips of skin from around a Merino sheep's breech area
It is performed to prevent flystrike — infestation by blowfly larvae that cause severe flesh wounds
Mulesing is practiced primarily in Australia, which produces approximately 70% of the world's merino wool
The procedure is typically performed without anesthesia on lambs, causing significant acute and chronic pain
Many retailers have committed to phase out mulesed wool following consumer pressure campaigns
Alternatives include selective breeding for plain-bodied sheep less susceptible to flystrike, and improved monitoring

Welfare Considerations

Mulesing causes significant acute and potentially chronic pain. Cutting away skin folds from conscious lambs without anesthesia causes immediate severe pain — evidence from pain biomarkers and behavioral responses is clear. The wound takes weeks to heal, during which lambs experience ongoing pain and are vulnerable to infection. Defenders of mulesing argue it prevents the worse suffering of flystrike — where maggots consume living flesh — a genuinely terrible welfare outcome. However, the binary "mulesing or flystrike" framing is increasingly challenged: breeding programs producing plain-bodied sheep with fewer skin folds, improved flystrike monitoring, and better preventive treatments reduce mulesing necessity. Pain relief during mulesing (where it is performed) is underutilized despite being available and effective, and regulatory requirements for pain relief are inconsistent.

What You Can Do

Look for Non-Mulesed or Responsible Wool Standard certification when purchasing wool products
Support retailers and brands that have committed to eliminating mulesed wool from their supply chains
Advocate for mandatory pain relief when mulesing is performed in jurisdictions where it remains legal
Support selective breeding programs that reduce merino skin folds and the need for mulesing