Alpacas are farmed globally for their fiber. While smaller-scale farming often achieves good welfare, intensive production and shearing practices raise specific welfare concerns.
Alpaca welfare varies enormously between production systems. Small-scale, high-welfare alpaca farming provides social groups, space for natural behavior, and skilled low-stress shearing and husbandry. At the other extreme, large-scale industrial alpaca fiber production involves rough handling, inappropriate restraint for shearing, social disruption, and inadequate veterinary care. Shearing itself is a welfare-positive necessity when done correctly — overheating in unshorn alpacas causes significant suffering. However, video evidence from some commercial facilities has shown painful and frightening restraint methods during shearing that constitute clear welfare violations. Ethical sourcing of alpaca fiber requires verification of both farming conditions and shearing practices.