Mulesing - the surgical removal of wool-bearing skin around the breech of Merino sheep without anesthetic - is one of the most controversial sheep welfare practices. Alternatives are increasingly available and being adopted.
Mulesing welfare is complicated by the genuine welfare problem it addresses: flystrike is an intensely painful condition causing severe suffering and death in affected sheep. Mulesing prevents flystrike in vulnerable Merino sheep with excessive skin folds. However, the procedure itself causes acute and persistent pain, and the lack of mandatory analgesia in much of Australian industry represents a preventable suffering burden. The development of NM genetics - Merinos bred to have less wrinkling and natural flystrike resistance - offers a path to eliminating both mulesing and flystrike risk through breeding, though uptake requires long-term flock management changes.