Farmer shearing a sheep<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nShearing is often a fast-paced activity and though shearers are supposed to be experienced and well-trained, this isn\u2019t like going to the barbers and inevitably the animal being sheared can suffer cuts.<\/p>\n
Because many breeds of sheep used by the wool industry have been bred so that their wool doesn\u2019t stop growing, they must be sheared at least once a year so that their fleeces do not get too long or thick, which could cause overheating in the summer.<\/p>\n
Tail Docking<\/h3>\n
Tail docking is the intentional removal of part of the tail by cutting, searing or some other method. Wool industry representatives suggest that it is necessary to dock (shorten) the tails of sheep in order to prevent flies laying eggs in the faecal material that might otherwise build up on their tails.<\/p>\n
The UK Welfare of Livestock Regulations (1987) states that sufficient tail must be retained to cover \u201cthe vulva in the case of female sheep and the anus in the case of male sheep.\u201d There is a risk, if docking is not performed correctly, of rectal prolapse.<\/p>\n
Castration<\/h3>\n
As mentioned above, castration involves the removal of a lamb or ram\u2019s testicles, by constriction.<\/p>\n
Mulesing<\/h3>\n
A practice whereby portions of flesh are removed from the body of the sheep, which is supposed to reduce the risk of \u201cflystrike\u201d \u2013 where fly lay eggs between the folds of a sheep\u2019s skin. At the time of writing, mulesing is still widely practiced in Australia.<\/p>\n
Tooth Grinding<\/h3>\n
Tooth grinding or tooth clipping were practices carried out on some sheep in the past based on (apparently erroneous) suggestions that the practices could somehow improve production on the basis that it is harder for a sheep with long teeth to graze. The practices were identified as both cruel and essentially pointless. Tooth grinding in sheep is prohibited under UK law.<\/p>\n
Electro-Immobilisation, Vasectomy, Electro-Ejaculation<\/h3>\n
Another group of practices that sound more like torture treatments than farming techniques, and these too are banned under UK law (though the latter two may be performed by a veterinary surgeon).<\/p>\n
Dehorning & Disbudding<\/h3>\n
Dehorning (the removal of horns) and disbudding (the destruction of horn buds, usually by cauterisation, before horns have grown) is undertaken by farmers in order to minimise the chances that sheep will injure one another. Under the Veterinary Surgeons Act (1966), only a veterinary surgeon may perform dehorning or disbudding on a sheep.<\/p>\n
Sheep Dipping<\/h3>\n
As stated by the Soil Association, \u201cMany non-organic farmers also use organophosphorus dips to control sheep scab.\u201d Organophosphates can be potent nerve agents and there have been numerous scientific studies linking their use to poor health in farmers and livestock.<\/p>\n
Marking<\/h3>\n
Ear tattooing or tagging is often carried out to help farmers identify sheep in their flock. While this could often be described as a \u201cshort, sharp shock\u201d there is no doubt that sheep being tattooed or tagged would feel at least some discomfort.<\/p>\n
As you will have read, there are plenty of reasons that many vegans and non-vegans would deem the wool industry as cruel. Hence, as well as the very clear exploitation of animals for clothing as mentioned earlier, we feel that obtaining wool from animals also has elements of cruelty to it too, in almost all scenarios, that is. The one exception to the rule could be the case of so-called \u201cdead wool\u201d.<\/p>\n
Is Dead Wool Vegan?<\/h2>\n
We have stated that wool obtained from any animal is not vegan friendly, but \u2013 for some people \u2013 there is one exception on ethical grounds: dead wool. Dead wool is that which has been taken from sheep (or other animals) that have died naturally or have been accidentally killed, as opposed to those which have been killed for the purpose of meat or for the wool itself. Dead wool should not be confused with \u201cpulled wool\u201d, which is taken from animals that have been slaughtered for meat or other products.<\/p>\n
From an ethical standpoint, dead wool has not exploited the animal in question and so many vegans would be comfortable enough wearing garments produced from dead wool. Though it should be mentioned that such wool is generally of a low quality compared to other types of wool and indeed when compared to many of the vegan-friendly alternatives to wool that are available.<\/p>\n
On top of that, practical considerations mean that the availability of dead wool is highly limited and certainly products made from it are not widely available. As such, while this might make an interesting ethical talking point (in much the same way as the question of whether or not roadkill meat is vegan<\/a>), in practical terms, it rarely becomes a consideration for vegans looking to buy a jumper for the winter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":326,"template":"","tags":[],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/is_it_vegan\/323"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/is_it_vegan"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/is_it_vegan"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/is_it_vegan\/323\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}