Mulesing

Mulesing is the surgical removal of strips of wool-bearing wrinkle skin from around the tail of a sheep. Mulesing is common practice in Australia, where it is expected to be phased out by 2010. It is performed as a way to prevent flystrike on farms where risk of flystrike is considered high. Current veterinary opinion considers the practice to be a necessary compromise in providing for the general welfare of sheep in areas of Australia.

History

Mulesing is named after Mr J. W. H. Mules. 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 and 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.

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.

Method

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, a portion of the tail is removed and the remaining stump is skinned. 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 are often applied, but anaesthesia and painkillers are not required during or after the procedure. 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 makes the product available for use by both veterinarians and sheep industry employees, such as mulesing contractors and graziers.

The non-wooled skin which is around the anus (and vulva in ewes) is pulled tight as the cut heals and results in a smooth area that does not get fouled by fæces or urine.

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. Lambs rarely die or become ill after mulesing.

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.

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.

Comparison to crutching

Mulesing is different from crutching. Crutching is the mechanical removal of wool around the tail, anus (and vulva in ewes) and also down the inside of the hocks in breeds of sheep with woolly points where this is necessary. Crutching has to be repeated at regular intervals as the wool grows continuously.

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

Mulesing is the removal of skin which provides permanent resistance to breech strike in Merino sheep. Other breeds tend to have less wool so close to the tail, and have less dense wool.

Regulation

In New South Wales, mulesing may legally be undertaken by any suitably skilled person. The practice is treated similarly elsewhere within Australia and New Zealand. Codes of practice describe how the procedure should be undertaken. These codes provide guidelines to assist operators in complying with the law..

Controversy

Animal rights and animal welfare activists consider unanesthetised mulesing to be inhumane and unnecessary. An additional argument is that mulesing may mask genetic susceptibility to fly strike allowing for genetic weaknesses to be continued.

One study found that Mulesing increases the odds of arthritis in lambs by seven times, because the wounds give an entry point for Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae the organism responsible for arthritis.[1]

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 some American and British clothing retailers agreeing to the boycott.

In early November, 2004, representatives of the Australian wool industry met and voted to phase out the practice of mulesing in Australia by 2010.

Peter Corish from the National Farmers' Federation said that the Australian Veterinary Association and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals endorse mulesing.

Proponents of mulesing are largely from Australia where conditions are conducive for severe fly strikes. While alternatives are available, they are not as economical. The industry's size and the number of sheep amplify the effect of cost efficiency.

In response to protests and outrage however, many farmers in Australia and New Zealand now undergo accreditation through organisations such as the Livestock Contractors' Association to publicly verify their abilities to practice mulesing in the most humane and expert way possible.

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.

Non-surgical alternatives currently researched:

• topical protein-based treatments (intradermal injections)
• selective breeding
• safe insecticides
• biological control of blowflies
• plastic clips on the sheep's skin folds (breech clips)

Traditional alternatives:

• frequent cropping of wool in the breech area (crutching)
• frequent inspection and medical attention
• rearing non-merino breeds in areas particularly prone to flystrike

External links

• Australian research organisation charged with phasing out mulesing
• Animal Health (Sheep) information
• A wool industry perspective on mulesing
• Brief agricultural how-to description
• Alternatives to mulesing information