Mulesing

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mulesing is the surgical removal of strips of wool-bearing wrinkle skin from around the breech of a sheep.[1] [2] Mulesing is common practice in Australia as a way to reduce the incidence of flystrike on Merino sheep in regions where flystrike is common.[2]

The Australian Veterinary Association recognises that mulesing is not ideal. However, it considers mulesing to be a necessary "short term welfare compromise to benefit the overall long term welfare of the animal", a view shared by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals [3]. The Australian Veterinary Association strongly supports the "development and implementation of alternatives that are less painful." [4]

Some animal welfare advocates strongly oppose mulesing, and say the practice is cruel and painful, and that more humane alternatives exist.[3]

In early November, 2004, representatives of the Australian wool industry met and voted to phase out the practice of mulesing in Australia by 31 December 2010.[5][2] Mulesing is already being phased out in New Zealand.[6]

Contents

[edit] History

Mulesing is named after John W. H. Mules, who developed the practice.[7] While shearing a ewe which had suffered several fly-strikes, Mules's hand slipped and his blade shears removed some skin from her hind end. After performing this procedure on his other sheep, Mules noticed that it prevented the occurrence of flystrike. The procedure was refined, experimented with ,and demonstrated to reduce flystrike. It was approved for use in Australia in the 1930s. This practice therefore greatly assists in the prevention of flystrike in the Australian environment. In Australia, it is thought that the fly primarily responsible for flystrike, Lucilia cuprina, was introduced from South Africa in the nineteenth century.[8]

Originally, mulesing was carried out on sheep after they were weaned because it was considered "too rough" for lambs. However, lambs appear to cope with the procedure better than older sheep as the actual area of skin fold removed on young lambs is quite small, and they are protected for an extra year as well. For young lambs older than two months, the discomfort period seems to last for approximately two weeks by which time healing is almost, if not entirely, complete. Current codes of practice ban mulesing for sheep over 12 months of age.[2]

[edit] Method

Mulesing is a surgical procedure carried out by a person who has completed the mandatory accreditation and training programme, usually a professional mulesing contractor [2]

While the lamb is under restraint (typically in a marking cradle), the wrinkled skin in the animal's breech (rump area) is cut away from the perianal region down to the top of the hindlimbs. Originally, the procedure was typically performed with modified wool-trimming metal shears, however there are now similar metal shears designed specifically for mulesing. In addition, the tail is docked and the remaining stump is sometimes skinned..[9] The cuts are executed to avoid affecting underlying muscle tissue.

The New South Wales Department of Primary Industries states in the Standard Operating Procedures that, "While the operation causes some pain, no pre or post operative pain relief measures are used". Antiseptics, anaesthesia and painkillers are not required during or after the procedure but are often applied.[1][2] Products have been approved for pain relief during the procedure, including Tri-Solfen — however the use of pain relief is not currently required by Australian industry practices. The minor use permit for Tri-Solfen[10] makes the product available for use by both veterinarians and sheep industry employees, such as mulesing contractors and graziers.[11]

After a heavy mules, non-wooled skin around the anus (and vulva in ewes) is pulled tight, the cut heals and results in smooth scar tissue that does not get fouled by fæces or urine. Most sheep have a light mules which does not leave the skin bare, but simply removes the skin wrinkle leaving a reduced area to grow wool and stain.[9].

When managed according to the standards, policies and procedures developed by the CSIRO, lambs are normally mulesed a few weeks after birth. The operation takes one to two minutes. Standard practice is to do this operation simultaneously with other procedures such as ear marking, tail docking, and vaccination. Because the procedure removes skin, not any underlying flesh or structure, there is little blood loss from the cut other than a minor oozing on the edges of the cut skin.

Mulesed lambs should be released onto clean pasture. The ewes and suckling lambs should receive minimal disturbance until all wounds are completely healed (about four weeks). Observation should be carried out from a distance.[2]

Mulesing should be completed well before the flystrike season or else chemical protection should be provided to reduce risk to the lambs and ewes.

Lambs that are slaughtered soon after weaning generally do not need mulesing as they can be protected by chemical treatment for the short time they are at risk.[12]

[edit] Comparison to crutching

Mulesing is different from crutching. Crutching is the mechanical removal of wool around the tail, anus (and vulva in ewes) in breeds of sheep with woolly points where this is necessary. Mulesing is the removal of skin to provide permanent resistance to breech strike in Merino sheep. Other breeds tend to have less loose skin, and wool, so close to the tail and may have less dense wool.

Crutching has to be repeated at regular intervals as the wool grows continuously. Frequent crutching of Merinos reduces the incidence of flystrike, but not as much as mulesing does.

At the time mulesing was invented, crutching was conducted with blade shears. In Australia these have been almost universally replaced with machine shears. Hand shears were being used when Mules inadvertently carried out the procedure during crutching. Mulesing would not inadvertently occur using modern machine shears.

[edit] Controversy

Some animal rights and animal welfare activists consider unanesthetised mulesing to be inhumane and unnecessary. They have also argued that mulesing may mask genetic susceptibility to fly strike allowing for genetic weaknesses to be continued.[13]

Proponents of mulesing are largely from Australia where conditions are conducive for severe fly strikes. While alternatives are available, they are not yet economically viable (as of 2007). The industry's size and the number of sheep amplify the effect of cost efficiency.[14]

In October, 2004, American fashion retailer Abercrombie & Fitch Co. responded to pressure from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to boycott Australian merino wool due in part to the use of mulesing in Australia. The boycott also seeks to draw attention to Australia's live sheep export trade. PETA's campaign has hurt the Australian wool industry, with several American and Nordic clothing retailers agreeing to the boycott.[15][16]More than 60 British retailers have already joined the boycott of Australian wool.[17]

However the controversy has once again been reignited, following the airing of a television programme in Sweden. In this television programme it is alleged a lobbying consultant, Kevin Craig, acting on behalf of the Australian Wool and Sheep Industry Taskforce offered a Swedish activist a free trip to Australia but conditional on the activist not going on camera and not doing an interview. As a consequence clothing manufacturers and retailers in Sweden have now uniformly banned the purchase of wool from sheep who have been mulesed. There are suggestions that this ban could be adopted internationally within the next year[18]. [19]

In order to help comply with the 2010 deadline to phase out mulesing Western Australia's governmental research stations will cease mulesing their sheep by April 1st 2008.[20]

[edit] Alternatives

Alternatives to mulesing must meet health standards for both the lamb and its handlers in addition to being safe for consumption as meat or textile.

Several non-surgical alternatives are currently being researched:

  • topical protein-based treatments (intradermal injections)[21]
  • selective breeding[6][21]
  • safe insecticides
  • biological control of blowflies[8]
  • plastic clips on the sheep's skin folds (breech clips)[21]
  • Australian patent no.2007201190 issued to B Hayes deals with a means for activating Bt spores inside the gut of the blowfly larvae and has been successful in killing larvae within 12 hours of ingestion. AWI and a US multinational have expressed interest in trialling as of June 2008. The invention is designed to exert three way control by (a)spraying holding pasture - the preparation also kills tape and roundworm in it's passage through the sheep - (b)spray dipping to treat body, and (c)a new form of killing trap which releases dead larva to the ground and requires minimum maintenance.[22]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Standard Operating Procedures - sheep Mulesing. New South Wales Department of Primary Industries. Retrieved on 2008-03-01.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Primary Industries Ministerial Council (2006). The Sheep (PDF), 2nd Edition, Primary Industries Report Series (in English), CSIRO Publishing, p17-23. Retrieved on 2008-03-01. 
  3. ^ a b Hogan, Jesse. "Farmers ridicule US wool ban", The Age, 2004-10-15. Retrieved on 2008-03-01. 
  4. ^ Jenny Palmer (17 November 2004). AVA applauds industry decision on sheep. Australian Veterinary Association. Retrieved on 2007-01-10.
  5. ^ Peter Wilkinson (8 November 2004). In the News. Australian Wool Growers Association. Retrieved on 2007-01-09.
  6. ^ a b Tara De Landgrafft (24 April 2007). New Zealand farmers on the ball with bare breech breeding. ABC Rural News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved on 2007-05-01.
  7. ^ Australian wool in animal rights row. BBC (2005-07-20). Retrieved on 2007-11-07.
  8. ^ a b Jules Dorrian (3 June 2006). Battling the blowfly – plan for the future (pdf). Australian Wool Innovation. Retrieved on 2007-01-09.
  9. ^ a b Livestock & Grain Producers Assoc. (1978). Sheep Production Guide. Parramatta: Macarthur Press. 
  10. ^ http://permits.apvma.gov.au/PER8660.PDF
  11. ^ Eddie Ripard (29 August 2005). AVA welcomes mulesing pain relief. Australian Veterinary Association. Retrieved on 2007-01-10.
  12. ^ Morley, F.H.W., and Johnstone,I.L. (1983). "Mulesing operation—a review of development and adaptation.". . Proceedings of the Second National Symposium—Sheep Blowfly and FlyStrike in Sheep, Sydney.
  13. ^ Mulesing. Animal Liberation (WA) Inc. Retrieved on 2007-01-09.
  14. ^ John Wilson (26 September 2006). A diminishing flock (infobox). Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved on 2007-01-09.
  15. ^ Australian Associated Press. "Red-faced Pink's u-turn on wool ban", The Sydney Morning Herald, 17 January 2007. Retrieved on 2007-01-17. 
  16. ^ "Helsinki protest against Australian cruelty to sheep" (2008-03-26). blog.anta.net. ISSN 1797-1993. 
  17. ^ Wool Industry Granted Reprieve
  18. ^ Simon Santow (8 March 2008). Aust wool industry faces Europe ban. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved on 2008-03-16.
  19. ^ [1]ABC Australia - Wool Bribery Scandal 13th March 2008
  20. ^ WA mulesing ends in three weeks. Herald Sun (10 March 2008). Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
  21. ^ a b c Alternatives to mulesing. Animal Health. Australian Wool Innovation. Retrieved on 2007-01-09.
  22. ^ Biological blowfly control a possible mulesing boost

[edit] External links