🐑 Sheep Welfare Deep Dive 2025

What it is: Mulesing is a surgical procedure performed on Merino sheep, predominantly in Australia, in which skin folds around the breech (rear end) are removed without anesthesia. The procedure is intended to prevent flystrike — a potentially fatal condition in which blowfly larvae infest the wool and skin of sheep.

Why it's a welfare concern: Mulesing causes significant acute and chronic pain. Sheep undergoing mulesing show elevated cortisol levels, reduced feeding, increased pain behaviors, and slower growth for weeks after the procedure. Research documents that lambs can experience pain for up to 48 hours post-procedure even without anesthesia, and longer pain states are likely.

The controversy: Animal welfare organizations, particularly those representing non-mulesed wool buyers, have campaigned for years for a ban. Australia's wool industry has resisted, arguing that alternatives (breed selection, topical treatments, clip and treat approaches) are not yet scalable. Major brands including H&M, Zara, and ASOS have made non-mulesed wool commitments. As of 2025, mulesing remains widespread but is declining — approximately 50-55% of Australian Merino sheep are still mulesed, down from ~70% a decade ago.

2025 developments: Pain relief requirements for mulesing are being strengthened in some Australian states. Alternative fly-strike prevention methods including cyromazine treatments and selective breeding for plain-bodied Merinos (less prone to fly-strike) are gaining traction. A complete ban remains politically contested.

Male lambs are routinely castrated to prevent unwanted breeding and reduce aggression. Tails are routinely docked to reduce flystrike risk and keep the rear end cleaner. Both procedures cause significant acute pain and, if performed without analgesia, lasting pain.

Welfare science findings: Research clearly establishes that both castration and tail docking cause acute pain measurable by behavioral and physiological indicators. Local anesthetic and/or systemic pain relief significantly reduce this pain. Despite this evidence, the majority of global sheep operations perform these procedures without analgesia.

Progress: New Zealand and the UK have moved toward recommending (but not yet mandating) pain relief for both procedures. Australia's Model Codes of Practice recommend but do not require pain relief. EU member states vary significantly in requirements. Mandatory analgesia for these procedures remains a key advocacy target.

Shearing is necessary for wooled sheep breeds (which cannot shed wool naturally due to selective breeding), but shearing practices vary enormously in welfare terms. In fast-pace commercial shearing operations, sheep can be handled roughly, sustain cuts and abrasions, and experience significant stress from restraint and unfamiliar handling.

Key welfare issues in shearing: Rough handling during mustering and shearing, cuts from electric clippers, shearing of ewes in late pregnancy (which can cause cold stress and lamb loss in cool climates), and inconsistent training for shearers.

Positive developments: Shearer training programs with welfare components, camera monitoring in shearing sheds, and certification schemes for humane shearing are growing in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. Research is developing objective welfare indicators that can be assessed during and after shearing.