Lambs deserve kindness, not cruelty

The Australian wool industry continues to fall short in its duty of care to sheep and remains the only country in the world that still practices mulesing on wool-producing sheep, a painful procedure that should have been phased out long ago. Despite a nationwide commitment in 2004 to end mulesing by 2010, the phase-out has stalled. 20 years on and less than 20% of Australian wool is mulesing-free, a clear indication that the industry cannot be trusted to prioritise animal welfare and put an end to this cruel practice on its own.

Sheep, especially Merinos, have woolly skin folds around the tail and breech area that can become moist and attract blowflies. The flies lay eggs that hatch into maggots, which feed on the sheep’s flesh, causing flystrike, a potentially fatal condition if untreated.

Mulesing is a procedure introduced to reduce the risk of flystrike in Merino sheep. By removing folds of skin, mulesing creates smooth, scarred tissue less prone to flystrike, helping protect the sheep from this fatal condition.

Despite its effectiveness, mulesing causes significant pain and distress to lambs, as it is often performed without anesthesia. The procedure has lasting effects on the lamb’s behavior and growth, raising serious animal welfare concerns. While mulesing helps prevent flystrike, both the procedure and the condition pose considerable challenges to sheep welfare.

Photo credit: Humane Society International

While more producers are using pain relief, this is far from a sufficient solution to the broader welfare concerns associated with mulesing.

• Mulesing is often performed without pre-anaesthesia, and in most states, including all except Victoria and Tasmania, it is legal to mules young lambs without any pain relief.
• The procedure typically takes place when lambs are between 2-10 weeks old.
• Mulesing causes intense pain that can last for several days or even weeks.
• After being mulesed, lambs tend to socialise less, experience weight loss within the first two weeks, and show evident signs of distress and discomfort.
• Mulesing is often performed alongside other painful procedures such as tail docking, castration, and ear tagging.

Whilst no one wants sheep to suffer from flystrike, relying on painful and risky procedures like mulesing is not a sustainable answer.

The RSPCA believes that it is unacceptable to continue to breed sheep that are susceptible to flystrike requiring the ongoing need for mulesing or other painful procedures to manage flystrike risk.

RSPCA, along with other animal welfare groups, is calling for a legislative phase-out of sheep mulesing and supports the recommendations in The Broken Promise report, including breeding flystrike-resistant sheep and mandatory pain relief during the transition. We urge the wool industry to prioritise animal welfare and align with global standards.

Additionally, retailers sourcing Australian wool should commit to purchasing only non-mulesed wool from flystrike-resistant sheep as soon as possible. The wool industry must also show progress by steadily reducing the number of sheep being mulesed or subjected to other painful procedures to manage flystrike.

As a conscious consumer, you can play a key role in ending mulesing faster by opting for non-mulesed wool products. Here is a list of progressive brands who support an end to live lamb cutting (mulesing).

Learn more about flystrike and the practice of mulesing lambs.