When we think about veganism, the focus is usually on what we eat. It’s how most “oh, so you’re a vegan?” conversations start, often because people notice what we’re eating. Understandably, most people see veganism through the lens of meat, dairy or eggs. Products like wool are often forgotten about. That said, wool is an industry full of abuse, suffering and death, like any other animal industry, and does deserve more scrutiny. It seems to have escaped criticism, excused by its alleged environmental benefits and camouflaged with pleasant rural stereotypes. The fact remains that it is cruel. I have friends who are vegan in every way except wool, under the impression that it’s the most sustainable clothing option, and I’m probably not the only one. So here’s what’s wrong with wool, why vegans should avoid using it, and what the alternatives are.
LAMBING
Two to six million lambs die every year in the UK as a result of disease, exposure to bitter environments, or starvation. That’s a staggering mortality rate of between 10 and 25 per cent, partly because sheep have been manipulated by humans to give birth to two or even three lambs rather than the one they would naturally have. As sheep have only two teats for lambs to suckle on, the third and weakest lamb often dies from starvation, unable to compete for mum’s milk. The situation is made worse by many sheep having been manipulated to give birth in winter so that farmers can cash in on the spring market. It might be more profitable, but it causes more suffering and increases the mortality rate. The lambs who survive have their tails cut off with a knife, hot iron or a tight rubber ring, and males are castrated. All these procedures are regularly done without painkillers and cause intense suffering to new-born lambs.