Mulesing - surgical removal of skin folds around merino sheep's breech to prevent flystrike - remains controversial globally, with significant progress on alternatives and phase-out commitments from major retailers.
Mulesing welfare involves genuine complexity: the procedure causes acute pain but prevents the chronic, life-threatening suffering of severe flystrike. The welfare case against mulesing is strongest where alternatives exist that effectively prevent flystrike. These alternatives include breeding for plain-bodied sheep with fewer skin folds, targeted preventive treatments, and improved flystrike monitoring. Progress has been real - New Zealand's phase-out demonstrates feasibility - but pace has been slower than welfare advocates hoped. Pain relief administration during and after mulesing is an important welfare improvement available immediately where the practice continues.