Shearing is an essential annual procedure for domestic sheep but causes acute stress and injury risk when performed by unskilled shearers or under poor welfare conditions.
Sheep welfare during shearing depends critically on shearer skill, equipment maintenance, appropriate restraint, and timing. Unskilled shearing causes lacerations, prolonged struggling, and significant fear. The Merino breeding for excessive wool production creates a welfare paradox — sheep need shearing to prevent wool-related welfare problems, but the procedure itself causes stress. Improved shearer training standards, eliminating mulesing through genetic selection for plain-bodied sheep, and improving oversight of large-scale shearing operations all contribute to better sheep welfare at this annual welfare-critical event.