Have Your Say on Mulesing – NSW Government Petition
This petition has now closed
There is a petition before the Parliament of New South Wales that would see an end to mulesing in the state.
Can you help lambs by adding your name now? It takes less than a minute to sign, but your contribution could make a lasting difference for lambs exploited for wool.
The petition closes on 18 August – so please share this widely with your friends and family.
What Is Mulesing?
Mulesing is the practice of cutting chunks of flesh from lambs’ hindquarters with shears to address problems caused by breeding them to produce excessive amounts of wool.
Merinos – the sheep most commonly used for wool in Australia – have been bred to have wrinkles in their skin and therefore produce more wool due to the larger surface area. Because of this, urine and faeces often collect in folds of skin around their hindquarters, attracting flies who lay eggs and hatch maggots.
The theory behind mulesing is that the gashes will heal as smoother, unwrinkled skin that won’t collect moisture, therefore preventing flystrike. But the exposed, bloody wounds take weeks to heal, often become infected, and attract flies anyway.
The pain caused by mulesing can last up to three days. Sheep are remarkably good at recognising human faces, and lambs may actively avoid the person who mulesed them for up to five weeks.
The Wool Industry Won’t Help Lambs – It’s Up To You!
In 2004, PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk exposed to the world the reality of wool from mulesed sheep in Australia – and after legal proceedings, the wool industry promised to phase out mulesing by 2010.
But now, more than a decade past the deadline, at least 74% of Australian wool still comes from mulesed sheep.
Eyewitness footage from 2021 filmed in New South Wales confirms that nothing has changed. Collective Fashion Justice received video footage from a wool industry contract worker showing how terrified lambs are when fastened into cradles while workers cut their tails and the skin around their backsides before dropping them onto their bloody wounds.
The wool industry clearly has no intention of doing better by sheep, so it’s up to you to take action. Please, if you live in New South Wales, sign this government petition immediately and share it with all your neighbours, friends, and family members.
We must also vote with our wallets and leave wool out of our wardrobes.
Not only does the Australian wool industry mules lambs, it also cuts off their tails and castrates males without any pain relief. Shearers, who are paid per fleece, work roughly and violently, pinning petrified sheep down, hitting them in the face with metal clippers, cutting them open, and shoving them down chutes. Since 2014, PETA entities have visited more than 40 farms across New South Wales, South Australia, and Victoria and have found systemic cruelty at every single one.
Want more facts about wool? All your questions are answered here:
