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Alternative treatments to "Mulesing"
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The mulesing technique was born in 1929 in Australia, the main producer of Merino wool, and bears the name of its inventor, John WH Mules. The latter, after having seen the spread among the sheep of the infection given by myiasis, a parasitosis caused by the larva of dipterans, was the first to test a technique that was nothing short of drastic.
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To solve this problem and prevent disease, the sheep are directly removed part of the posterior tissues, very often including the tail, often without any type of anesthesia. The purpose of this is to ensure that the new tissues that are formed are smoother and that there are no folds and inlets where infections can settle.
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Myiasis infections can lead to death in sheep, as can the trauma of mulesing. It seems obvious that for such a widespread and massively reared breed of sheep, the purpose of this technique is not so much to save the life of the animal, but more to produce wool. If the animal survives the trauma of mulesing, good and clean wool production will be ensured throughout its life.
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There are alternatives to mulesing that can be traced back to these three principles:
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control and cleaning of animals by spraying together with shearing of the parts at risk
fly traps to be installed around flocks
breeding and selection of breeds with a lower growth of wool, therefore more suitable for the warm climates of Australia
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As for the merino extra Fun project, yarns produced with fibers from farms that do not practice this kind of technique have been found on the market.
It was decided to require each purchase to be guaranteed the RWS (Responsible Wool Standard) certificate [1] which certifies the best practices implemented by breeders as regards the respect of the flocks whose specifications state:
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"On farms, the certification ensures that sheep are treated with respect to their Five Freedoms. The Five Freedoms are internationally recognized standards for the protection of animal welfare, consisting of:
1. Freedom from hunger or thirst;
2. Freedom from discomfort;
3. Freedom from pain, injury or disease;
4. Freedom to express (most) normal behavior;
5. Freedom from fear and distress.
(Source: Farm Animal Welfare Council)) and also ensures best practices in the management and protection of the land. The standard is globally applicable to all breeds of sheep, and mulesing is strictly prohibited. "
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