Fashion brands warn of not buying mulesed sheep wool from Australia

Sheep wool is an important natural fiber used for producing numerous winter wear. Fashion brands have warned that they will not buy wool-mulesed sheep.

The warning has been issued by the Italian Wool Trade Association (IWTA) in a letter to the Australian Superfine Wool Growers Association (ASWGA).

There is also a realization in ASWGA of the concerns of fashion brands on this issue.

This is the reason the ASWGA considering holding a vote on whether to change its constitution to become “a non-mulesed organization”. It would deprive growers of ASWGA membership who still mules their sheep.

Mulesing is a controversial practice primarily used in Australia to reduce the risk of flystrike, a severe and potentially fatal condition caused by blowfly larvae infesting the skin of sheep, especially around the breech area where urine and feces can accumulate.

The process involves removing strips of skin, usually wrinkled and woolly skin, from the sheep’s breech using shears or a surgical instrument. This is done to create a smoother, less wrinkled skin surface, which is believed to be less attractive to blowflies.

The rationale behind mulesing is that it helps prevent flystrike and reduces the need for chemical treatments to combat the condition, which can have environmental impacts. However, the procedure itself is considered painful to the sheep and has drawn significant criticism from animal welfare organizations and activists. Critics argue that mulesing causes unnecessary suffering, and alternatives such as breeding for less wrinkled skin or implementing flystrike prevention methods that don’t involve surgical procedures should be pursued instead.

The IWTA president Claudio Lacchio tells Mark Waters, in a letter to ASWGA president that he appreciates that the debate over a rule change over mulesing would be very sensitive and complex. However, he warned that consumers will not accept wool products from mulesed sheep very shortly.

The letter further states that this market intelligence is passed onto ASWGA not as an ultimatum but as the stark reality facing both our industries.

Experts point out that the Italian wool trade has been delivering the message to the Australian wool industry for over two decades that an increasing number of its customers are refusing to use wool from sheep that have been mulesed.



Several fashion companies have established a no-tolerance approach to mulesing, with the likes of Adidas, VF Corporation, Marks and Spencer, and Missguided signing the Four Paws initiative’s petition for a 2030 ban on the practice.