Contrary to common belief, wool is far from the green, sustainable and ethical material it is made out to be. In fact, modern synthetic textiles have longer lives than the majority of materials made from sheep — the innocent beings who are imprisoned, abused and eventually slaughtered (if they do not die first of exposure) to create a non-essential product.
Since wool is generally marketed as a ‘harmless by-product’ (of the incredibly harmful meat industry), many people give it little consideration, assuming that the sheep do not suffer for their wool. This is because shearing is frequently promoted as a necessary welfare-related activity, which actively prevents sheep suffering and makes their lives better. The British Wool Association (BWA) states on their website, that ‘Sheep are required to be shorn of their wool once a year for their own comfort and health’, as if the ‘stress-free process’ is undertaken only for the sake of the sheep, and not for the profit that wool generates. What the BWA fail to mention, is that sheep don’t need to be shorn — or they didn’t used to. Sheep need to be shorn because of human manipulation — they are genetically engineered and selectively bred to produce much more wool than they would naturally, to increase wool profits. Sheep should only produce just the right amount of wool they need to protect themselves from extreme weather conditions, but genetic manipulation forces these defenceless animals to grow more, and become dependent on human interference. The majority of the world’s wool comes from Australia, where the most commonly raised sheep are merinos. They are specifically bred to have wrinkly skin, which means much more wool per animal. This unnatural overload causes many merino sheep to collapse and die of heat exhaustion, and the wrinkles collect urine and moisture, leading to infections.
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October 2019
 
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