VICTORIA – An Australian sheep crutcher in the state of Victoria fears some wool farmers might forego mulesing due to the additional costs that’ve stemmed from pain relief administration being mandated.
Mulesing, the practice of removing wool-bearing skin from a sheep’s breech to prevent parasitic infections like flystrike, is a contentious topic throughout the country – which produces 90 per cent of wool used in the global apparel industry – due to the associated animal welfare implications.
It’s a cause for concern though that with the newly-introduced changes to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (POCTA) Act that came into effect from July 1, wool growers must now pay more to attain the same product, or sacrifice mulesing entirely which risks further flystrike infestations.
