Farm Animals

Sheep Mulesing and Alternatives

Mulesing — surgical removal of wool-bearing skin around a sheep hindquarters without anesthesia — is used to prevent flystrike in Merino sheep but causes significant acute and post-operative pain.

Key Facts

Mulesing is practiced on millions of Merino sheep annually in Australia
The procedure involves cutting live skin and takes seconds but causes pain lasting days
Merino sheep are more susceptible to flystrike due to excess skin folds bred for more wool
Breeding programs for plain-bodied Merinos are reducing flystrike susceptibility without surgery
Pain relief products are available and substantially reduce mulesing pain when used

Welfare Considerations

Mulesing without analgesia causes acute pain scores equivalent to castration. Post-operatively, lambs show reduced mobility, abnormal posture, and behavioral indicators of pain for days. The practice persists despite the availability of pain relief and the existence of breeding alternatives because it is cheap and fast at scale. Consumer and retailer pressure has driven significant uptake of analgesia and non-mulesed certifications in recent years.

What You Can Do

Choose wool products labeled as non-mulesed
Support retailers and brands that require non-mulesed or pain-relief-treated wool
Advocate for legislation mandating analgesia for mulesing
Donate to programs developing plain-bodied Merino genetics
Raise awareness among wool consumers about mulesing and its alternatives