Mulesing is a painful procedure used on Merino sheep in Australia to prevent flystrike. Growing consumer and industry pressure is driving adoption of pain relief and wool-breed alternatives.
Mulesing is a genuine welfare dilemma: the procedure itself causes acute and post-operative pain lasting days, while flystrike causes even more severe and prolonged suffering if it occurs. The welfare case is not simply anti-mulesing but for managing both risks appropriately. Pain relief using local anaesthesia and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs substantially reduces the welfare impact of mulesing for those farms that continue the practice. The longer-term solution lies in selective breeding for bare-breech genetics that naturally resist flystrike without the need for surgical intervention. New Zealand's successful transition demonstrates that the Australian wool industry can operate profitably without mulesing, though the transition requires sustained investment in genetics and management systems.