Mulesing
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Issue Summary
Mulesing is a practice that involves surgically removing a strip of skin from the lamb’s breech in an effort to prevent flystrike. It is a controversial practice, because while some farmers groups say it is the most effective way to prevent flystrike, others say it is an inhumane practice that puts sheep welfare at risk.
USA-ITA Position
USA-ITA represents companies that import wool from Australia and is against mulesing because it is an inhumane practice. USA-ITA has joined fellow industry associations and businesses in the United States and across the globe in calling on the Australian wool industry to find alternatives to mulesing and implement those alternatives as soon as possible.
Advocacy
USA-ITA has joined fellow industry associations and businesses in the United States and across the globe in calling for the Australian wool industry to find alternatives to mulesing and implement those alternatives as soon as possible. On February 24, 2011, USA-ITA signed a letter to the Australian industry on a timeline for mulesing alternatives, which is available here.
On September 12, 2011, USA-ITA joined U.S. industry representatives in a meeting with Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), the research and marketing organization for the industry, and the Australian Veterinary Association to hear about the industry’s progress in reducing flystrike without mulesing. AWI is researching methods in which to extract the wool from the sheep in a more sustainable way and has spent $26 million in flystrike prevention since 2005, most heavily in breeding and breech modification developments. AWI has held over 50 workshops with farmers in Australia, which has led to 54 percent of sheep not intended to mulesed in 2009 compared to 2 percent of sheep not mulesed in 2005. The presentation from the meeting is available here.
On March 2, 2012, USA-ITA joined 17 associations in North America and Europe sent a policy working paper to AWI on the industry’s view of mulesing. In particular, the paper notes that mulesing affects the relationship between the Australian wool industry and the wool apparel retailers and brands, and calls upon the industry to “expeditiously identify and adopt viable alternatives to surgical mulesing.” The full paper is available here.
For more information on AWI, read their January 2012 report here.