Farmed Animals

Sheep Mulesing Welfare and Alternatives

Mulesing — surgical removal of skin folds from merino sheep rear ends — is performed to prevent flystrike but causes acute pain without anesthesia in most cases.

Key Facts

Mulesing is performed on approximately 70% of Australian merino sheep without pain relief
The procedure involves cutting skin from around the tail area to create scar tissue resistant to flystrike
Flystrike from blowfly larvae causes horrific welfare harm if untreated in wool-heavy breeds
Pain relief during and after mulesing is available but cost pressures limit adoption
Some wool buyers including Patagonia have committed to only sourcing non-mulesed wool

Welfare Considerations

Mulesing without anesthesia causes acute surgical pain followed by prolonged wound healing. The procedure prevents a potentially more severe welfare harm from flystrike, creating a genuine dilemma. However, pain management is available and should be mandatory rather than optional. Non-mulesing alternatives including breed selection toward bare-breech genetics, crutching, and targeted treatment are increasingly viable alternatives to routine mulesing.

What You Can Do

Choose wool products certified as non-mulesed or from breeds not requiring mulesing
Support brands committed to sourcing non-mulesed wool in their supply chains
Advocate for mandatory pain relief when mulesing is performed as a transitional standard
Support development and adoption of bare-breech genetics that eliminate the need for mulesing
Reduce wool consumption to lower demand pressure that drives cost-cutting on welfare