Sheep Facts

Australia is the world's largest wool producer contributing 70% of the apparel wool used in the global fashion industry.[S] Australia also supplies 50% of the world's sheep meat.[S] Therefore, Australian sheep industry statistics are relevant to everywhere. 

-New Zealand is also responsible for a signficant portion of the sheep meat/wool trade worldwide-

• 90% of sheep/wool producers in Australia dock (cut) the tails of their lambs, with 50% not using any pain relief.[S]

• 97% of sheep/wool producers in Australia castrate their lambs, with only 34% using pain relief.[S]

• 58% of merino wool producers in Australia perform mulesing on female lambs, and 49% on male lambs, with 6% not using any pain relief.[S] However, pain management is widely considered ineffective at preventing the extreme pain and suffering associated with mulesing.[S][S]

• 91% of sheep farmers in New Zealand routinely dock the tails of their lambs, with 98.6% of them never using any pain relief.[S][S]

• 77.5% of sheep farmers in New Zealand castrate their lambs, with 98.5% of them never using any pain relief.[S][S]

• 75.1% of farms in the US castrate male lambs,[S] typically without pain relief.[S][S]