[Clips: museling alternative. Museling was far too graphic to be shown]
Australian wool producers/farmers made a promise six years ago, that they did not intend to keep...
They continue a controversial practice involving removing the skin in the buttocks of sheep to stop blowfly maggots infesting the area and eating into the flesh. It is done to sheep as young as a few weeks old.
The procedure is done without anaesthetic.
The promise was made to phase out 'mulesing' by December 2010, as previously pushed by animal rights activists PETA. They have continued this unconscionable act, and it doesn't seem likely that they will stop due to the fact that alternatives are quite expensive.
Marks & Spencer, H&M, Perry Ellis, and Adidas are among major chains to mark the procedure as "totally unacceptable" and pledged to look for wool from suppliers that have not used the horrific method or source it from other countries.
Even if pain relief is provided, it should not be done. It's a cruel act. I strongly believe other suppliers should be looked upon, so these farmers may be shut down as well as their practices. Several fashion houses are on the same boat, after December 2010, other sources of merino wool will be pursued regardless of pain relief provided to the sheep.I just wish it would be done sooner, less sheep harmed-the better.
But the National Farmer's Association deems that 'without mulesing up to 3,000,000 sheep a year, they could die a slow and agonising death from flystrike'
There must be alternatives-and there are!
-Clips are a form of clipping without doing a surgical procedure in which an open wound is inflicted.Which means painless!
-Needleless Intradermal Injections are needleless applicator that delivers a measured dose of formulation one millimetre into the skin not through the skin, nor into the muscle. This kills skin cells in the treated area. A bruise forms, followed by a scab which dries and falls off, leaving a stretch mark. (pale incomparison to being skinned alive)
-Special Breeding is when sires have a possible genetic make-up that are completely wool free in the crutch and inner hind legs may hold the genetic keys. They do not need to be mulesed. Making babies that doesn't need to be museled!
-Genome mapping of sheep Blowfly is a project involving genome mapping of the sheep blowfly to identify potential opportunities for alternative methods of control.It helps identifying areas of potential vulnerability. Which means healthy, happier sheeps because they have no blowflies to worry about.
More technologies are under wraps at the moment, but just look at all the alternatives!
The 'Museling' is coined after jackass australian farmer John Mules. He created the idea in the 1930's. He started out by pulling out a pair of shears and ripping the skin off of baby sheep, to experiment... what a weirdo.
[anti-ass skinning propaganda by:savethesheep.com]
ASS-SKINNING IS WRONG!DON'T WEAR AUSTRALIAN WOOL!!!
