![Calls to mandate pain relief for mulesing Calls to mandate pain relief for mulesing](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/XftCMkCcRPa3Vky3YfP3wJ/79f83e04-1ed5-4b2e-9223-37e5e8e5a715.jpg/r0_154_3000_1842_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The peak wool-growing body is calling for mandatory pain relief during mulesing to be enshrined in the national sheep standards and guidelines.
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At present the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Sheep only specify that pain relief must be used during mulesing for lambs aged six to 12 months.
But WoolProducers Australia want to see that amended that all mulesing must be done with appropriate pain relief, regardless of the animal's age.
The standards are overseen by the Australian government's cross-jurisdictional Animal Welfare Task Group, which includes members from every state and territory.
WoolProducers CEO Jo Hall said mandatory pain relief application for mulesing has been a WoolProducers policy since 2018.
"Given that animal welfare is under the remit of state and territory jurisdictions but there are national Standards and Guidelines for Animal Welfare...WoolProducers have been raising the issue of amending the Sheep S&Gs to accommodate this policy," she said. "WoolProducers have called upon the AWTG to facilitate an amendment of the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Sheep to facilitate this policy."
Ms Hall said while the long-term goal of the Australian wool industry is to find a viable alternative to surgical mulesing, in the mean time WoolProducers believed the right to mules was essential.
"In many circumstances mulesing with pain relief is the highest standard of animal welfare that can be provided to a sheep over the course of its life as the practice is the most efficience breech flystrike prevention available in Australian production systems," she said.
"WoolProducers have long been saying that if the industry does not look to the future and attempt to secure the practice of mulesing by mandating pain relief for mulesing (until an alternative practice or genetic solution is found), there is a chance of losing the practice altogether.
"We have written and made presentations to the AWTG on several times since 2019 on this issue."
A Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry spokesperson said that while a review of the sheep standard is on the workplan for the AWTC, to date no state or territory had offered to lead this work.
"The Australian Government supports strong animal welfare standards and believes all animals should be treated humanely.
"Animal welfare is primarily a state and territory responsibility.
"The Commonwealth's role is limited to international trade responsibilities, including animal welfare for livestock exports and at export registered meat processing facilities."