Mulesing is the term given to a painful and archaic procedure inflicted upon millions of lambs in Australia, a country home to the biggest wool industry. However, the term fails to capture the true essence of the cruelty involved. In an effort to shed light on this issue and enable more transparent communication, a new term has been agreed to by animal health and welfare experts: 'live lamb cutting.'  

Every year over 10 million Merino lambs usually between 2-12 weeks old, are restrained on their backs in a metal cradle, while sharp shears (much like garden shears) are used to cut off large sections of skin and flesh from their buttock area. While the pain of this mutilation can last for days, and the wound takes weeks to heal, it is usually undertaken without adequate pain relief. 

It is the most invasive routine mutilation that sheep are routinely subjected to. This is done to prevent flystrike, a painful fly infestation caused by blowflies laying their eggs in the skin folds of a sheep’s wrinkles which is to a large extent a human-made problem. Most Australian wool producers breed merinos to produce excess skin, resulting in what’s known as ‘wrinkled sheep’, in an attempt to grow more wool per animal. Unfortunately, the use of wrinkled sheep types, together with the hot and humid climate in Australia, and the presence of the Australian blowfly makes the sheep highly susceptible to flystrike.

Luckily thousands of Australian wool producer have stopped live lamb cutting by breeding flystrike-resistant sheep known as ‘smooth’ or ‘plain’ bodies, instead of ‘wrinkly’ sheep. This method has been industry-proven and is effectively addressing flystrike and live lamb cutting, providing advantages for both animals and producers. 

Despite pain-free alternatives being available for more than thirty years, approximately 70% of lambs in Australia still suffer from this mutilation. The percentage of Australian wool declared as live lamb cutting-free (mulesing-free) has been slow to rise, with around 80% still sourced from sheep that have endured live lamb cutting.

The absence of strong leadership from both the industry and political spheres in Australia presents a significant barrier to progress. However, this obstacle can be overcome by mobilising the growing public movement against live lamb cutting and calling for a shift towards available alternatives. Central to this effort is the need for clear and transparent communication, which is hindered by the term 'mulesing.' This term suffers from several shortcomings: 

• Lack of clarity: The term 'mulesing' is ambiguous and does not accurately portray the harsh reality of the practice.
• Old and outdated: Named after its inventor, J. Mules, in the 1920s, the term continues while alternatives have long been made available making the practice obsolete.
• Difficulty in communication: The term is challenging to spell, pronounce and remember, which can impede understanding and hinder efforts for change.

FOUR PAWS together with leading animal protection organisations in Australia and around the world, will now be using the more transparent name of live lamb cutting going forward. This isn't just about semantics – it's about clarity, honesty, and acknowledging the reality behind a large sector of the wool industry and the need for change.  

Live lamb cutting only replaces the term mulesing which does not include tail docking, castration or other practices where lambs are cut alive. 

Sign our petition to call on brands and politicians to phase out live lamb cutting. 

If you work for a textiles brand, and want your company to be a voice for compassion, sign our open brand letter today and be part of the movement.