Global fashion companies publicly call on the Australian wool industry to end mulesing
FOUR PAWS hands over open letter to the Australian wool industry, signed by major brands committing to end the use of cruel mulesed sheep wool and calling for an end to the practice by 2030
Sydney, 15 May 2023 – Last week, at the Animal Welfare Forum hosted by the Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) in Sydney, global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS handed over its Brand Letter of Intent to AWI Program Manager, Geoff Lindon (pictured), and Sheep Producers CEO Jo Hall, calling for an end to mulesing by 2030.
FOUR PAWS calls the industry’s transition away from mulesing “too slow” and for more to be done to encourage a transition away from mulesing.
To date, the open letter has been signed by 66 international fashion brands, including Hugo Boss, H&M, Esprit, Patagonia and Adidas. The undersigned brands have either already moved away from mulesed wool or pledged to transition towards 100% certified mulesing-free wool by 2030 referring to the industry timeline in AWI’s Wool Strategy 2030.
AWI, the industry association representing the interests of Australian wool producers, has stated in their Wool 2030 Strategy, that a goal is to have wool growers increase their confidence in and knowledge of the tools to manage flystrike without mulesing.
While the industry is investing in training and information sharing, further concrete action plans are still missing and mulesing is still generally accepted. Mulesing also continues to be part of AWI’s toolbox shared to growers to tackle flystrike. In addition, the goal of having 50% of Australian wool certified by 2030 does not specifically ask for an animal welfare or mulesing-free certification.
Fashion brand quotes of support for an end to mulesing and the Brand Letter of Intent can be found here.
The biggest wool producer for the fashion industry: Australia
70 per cent of the world’s Merino wool production comes from Australia - the only country in the world where mulesing is still practiced. Mulesing entails large strips of skin sliced away from the hindquarters of lambs a few weeks old, causing great pain and usually without anesthesia - this is used as a quick and cheap way to prevent infestation by blowflies, but again there are alternative methods available. Alternative options include breeding sheep that are more resistant to parasites than Merino sheep.
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Elise Burgess
Head of CommunicationsM: 0423 873 382
FOUR PAWS Australia
GPO Box 2845
SYDNEY NSW 2001
Main Phone: 1800 454 228
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About FOUR PAWS
FOUR PAWS is the global animal welfare organisation for animals under direct human influence, which reveals suffering, rescues animals in need and protects them.
Founded in 1988 in Vienna by Heli Dungler and friends, the organisation advocates for a world where humans treat animals with respect, empathy and understanding. The sustainable campaigns and projects of FOUR PAWS focus on companion animals including stray dogs and cats, animals in fashion, farm animals, and wild animals – such as bears, big cats, and orangutans – kept in inappropriate conditions as well as in disaster and conflict zones.
With offices in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Kosovo, the Netherlands, Switzerland, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine, the UK, the USA, and Vietnam as well as sanctuaries for rescued animals in eleven countries, FOUR PAWS provides rapid help and long-term solutions. www.four-paws.org.au