NEW SOUTH WALES – A group of wool growers in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, say they’ll resist efforts to ban mulesing outright and mandate pain relief for sheep, as they believe it’s counter-intuitive to widely-held animal welfare concerns.
Recently, growers were urged to complete an online survey relating to proposed changes to the POCTA (Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) Act in NSW, as the state’s Legislative Council looks to fast-track new laws with a view to banning mulesing by 2023.
NSW Farmers’ president James Jackson has argued: “Mulesing is an effective fly-strike mitigation tool, so it needs to be maintained for the sake of animal welfare”, adding that different climatic conditions across the State make it near impossible to earmark one viable alternative solution.
