Mulesing

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As mulesing (English [mjuːlziŋ]) or Mulesierung (after John WH Mules ) removing the skin around the tail of sheep called without anesthesia. It is a common practice in Australia to prevent fly maggot ( myiasis ) infestation .

Mulesing is a controversial practice and there are many different opinions about it. According to the National Farmers Federation , it's the most effective way to minimize the risk of myiasis , which would otherwise kill 3,000,000 sheep annually. The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) recognizes the positive effects of mulesing in sheep. However, the AVA also advocates alternatives in the sense of ethically justifiable factory farming . According to National Farmers' Federation President Peter Corish, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is not opposed to this practice in areas where there is no viable alternative, but recommends research into painless methods as alternatives. The animal rights organization PETA is strictly against mulesing, it is a cruel and painful method, to which there are "more humane" alternatives.

In November 2004, delegates from the Australian wool industry met and decided to end the mulesing process by the end of 2010. In the meantime, the Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) has canceled the date and has not set a new one. The Australian Wool Growers Association, on the other hand, sees an increasing use of local anesthesia. In 2010 this is said to have been used in 60% of the cases.

The New Zealand merino industry passed a voluntary ban in late 2010, but not all farmers abide by this. In addition, the New Zealand Merino Company has introduced a voluntary quality seal called Zque , which identifies wool from sheep that have not, among other things, been subjected to mulesing. An official ban came into effect on October 1, 2018.

history

Mulesing is named after John WH Mules, who developed this process. While shearing a ewe that had experienced multiple fly attacks, he slipped and removed a piece of skin. When he used this on several other sheep, he found that it significantly reduced fly maggot infestations. The process has evolved over the years and spread to Australia in the 1930s. The fly species mainly responsible for myiasis in Australian sheep, Lucilia cuprina , was probably introduced from South Africa in the 19th century.

Originally it was only carried out on sheep that had already been weaned because it was "too hard" for lambs. It turned out, however, that lambs tolerated mulesing better than older sheep, as the affected skin area is significantly smaller.

Procedure

Mulesing is a surgical procedure that is carried out in Australia by people with special training, i.e. usually entrusted to a professional mulesing entrepreneur. It is usually done after weaning up to one year of age. While the sheep is fixed, which is after-tail-fold by removal of a v-shaped piece of skin in the proximal third of streamlined tail and the tail from the third tail vertebrae docked . No pain medication will be given either during or after the procedure. Originally this was done together with the shear, but now there are special tools for it.

controversy

Animal rights activists criticize mulesing without anesthesia as inhumane and unnecessary. They also argue that mulesing prevents natural resistance to the fly infestation from building up. In addition, the effectiveness of the procedure is generally questioned, since the maggots also nest in other skin folds on the body.

Proponents of mulesing mostly come from Australia, where fly infestations are common. There are already alternatives, but these have not yet been tested and are uneconomical. Due to the large number of sheep in Australia, an economical method is necessary.

In October 2004, American fashion company Abercrombie & Fitch responded to pressure from PETA and boycotted Australian merino wool for mulesing. The Australian wool industry slumped in sales as more companies joined the boycott, including more than 60 UK companies. The conflict reignited after a broadcast on Swedish television. It alleged that a lobbyist, Kevin Craig, who worked for the Australian wool and sheep industry, offered a Swedish activist a free trip to Australia, on condition that he no longer appeared in front of the camera or gave interviews. As a result, almost the entire Swedish clothing industry joined the boycott.

In March 2020, a list of one hundred international textile brands was published that speak out against “mulesing” among lambs.

Alternatives

Alternatives to mulesing must be harmless to the health of both the sheep and the person carrying out the work and must not damage meat or wool.

Some non-surgical methods have been studied:

  • proteinaceous treatment ( intradermal injections )
  • targeted breeding
  • safe insecticides
  • biological fly control
  • Plastic clips for sheep skin ( breech clips )

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c d Primary Industries Ministerial Council: The Sheep . In: Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals (PDF) (= Primary Industries Report Series), 2nd Edition. Edition, CSIRO Publishing, 2006, ISBN 0-643-09357-5 , pp. 17-23 (accessed March 1, 2008).
  2. ↑ a b Jesse Hogan: Farmers ridicule US wool ban , The Age . October 15, 2004. Retrieved March 1, 2008. 
  3. ^ Peter Wilkinson: In the News . Australian Wool Growers Association. November 8, 2004. Archived from the original on August 20, 2006. Retrieved January 9, 2007.
  4. ↑ See animalsaustralia.org or abc.net.au (English).
  5. ↑ Peter Windsor: Pain management adoption on Australian sheep farms (PDF; 126 kB), September 27, 2011, accessed November 20, 2011.
  6. ↑ safe.org.nz: Mulesing ( Memento from August 5, 2014 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on November 20, 2011.
  7. ↑ Joanne Sneddon: How the wool industry has undercut itself on mulesing , May 3, 2011, accessed November 20, 2011.
  8. ^ New Zealand farmers on the ball with bare breech breeding . In: New Zealand prohibits the practice of mulesing in sheep Farm Online , September 4, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2019. 
  9. ^ Australian wool in animal rights row . BBC . July 20, 2005. Retrieved November 7, 2007.
  10. ↑ a b Jules Dorrian: Battling the blowfly - plan for the future ( Memento of September 7, 2008 in the Internet Archive ), June 3, 2006.
  11. ^ Livestock & Grain Producers Assoc .: Sheep Production Guide . Macarthur Press, Parramatta 1978.
  12. ^ Mulesing . Animal Liberation (WA) Inc. Archived from the original on November 21, 2008. Retrieved January 9, 2007.
  13. ↑ Merino wool shopping check , from January 29, 2020 in Ots.at.
  14. ↑ John Wilson: A diminishing flock (infobox) . In: Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand . Ministry for Culture & Heritage . September 26, 2006. Archived from the original on May 9, 2006. Retrieved January 9, 2007.
  15. ^ Australian Associated Press: Red-faced Pink's u-turn on wool ban , The Sydney Morning Herald . January 17, 2007. 
  16. ↑ Helsinki protest against Australian cruelty to sheep Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. In: blog.anta.net . March 26, 2008, ISSN  1797-1993 . Retrieved March 26, 2008.
  17. ↑ Wool Industry Granted Reprieve
  18. ↑ [wollemitpo.vier-pfoten.de brands against mulesing ], accessed on April 7, 2020 in Wollemitpo.vier-pfoten.de
  19. ↑ a b c Alternatives to mulesing . Archived from the original on November 21, 2017. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved February 7, 2016. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / kb.rspca.org.au
  20. ^ Tara De Landgrafft: New Zealand farmers on the ball with bare breech breeding . In: ABC Rural News . Australian Broadcasting Corporation. April 24, 2007. Archived from the original on March 16, 2008. Retrieved on May 1, 2007.

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