mikeymo wrote:Paulatic wrote:I started making the move, with similar concerns, to merino a few years ago.
I may be wrong, but I've got the idea that you are in the sheep business, in some way, yes? As my father was, in fact, for a while.
I've heard some rather unpleasant things about Merino sheep treatment, "mulesing", is it called?
Do you know if:
1. It's as cruel as it is portrayed.
2. There is any mulesing-free merino cycle clothing available.
I was a shepherd all my working life. Never with Merino or any wool important breed. Wool was always a by product and eventually a b****y expensive nuisance.
There are a lot of mulesing free products available. I only buy mulesing free but nothing I’ve bought is cycling specific.
It is seen as a cruel practice especially by, I suspect, those who haven’t seen the suffering caused by maggots on sheep. I think whoever thought of it originally was at their wits end and saddened to see the suffering caused. All those shepherds doing it would not want to inflict pain on an animal without good cause.
Having been shown the error of their ways and given incentives they’ve embraced alternative methods probably enabled by modern day products and the practice will, I believe, disappear anyway.
Husbandry moves on and educated young people are usually keen to practice it. Education is the key. I can think of few things since I was a child you thankfully no longer see. Dehorning without anaesthetic, Castrating older animals without anaesthetic, cracking of lambs outer skull to stop Gid.