Evidence-based alternatives to mulesing that protect sheep from flystrike without surgical welfare harm.
Mulesing presents a genuine welfare dilemma: it causes significant acute pain but prevents a potentially fatal and extremely painful condition. The welfare solution is not to simply ban mulesing without alternatives but to accelerate the development and adoption of those alternatives, particularly selective breeding for naturally bare-breech genetics that confer flystrike resistance. The pace of genetic improvement combined with chemical prevention methods means that mulesing is becoming less necessary, and the industry has been encouraged by major buyer commitments to phase it out with appropriate timelines and breed transition support.