Since ancient times, humans have used animal skins and fibers to dress themselves. There is evidence that in Iran sheep were already selected for the quality and quantity of wool since 6,000 BC, while there are fragments with wool clothing with more than 5,000 years old. Shearing, therefore, is an ancient tradition.
Today, wool is still a very useful and appreciated natural fiber, but the shearing process has changed a little over the years. We tell you how and why sheep are sheared to obtain wool, in addition to the controversies that surround this practice, especially in Australia, the world giant of wool production.
Why are sheep sheared?
Mainly, to take advantage of its wool, which is used both in the textile industry and for thermal insulation. Now, Do sheep need to be sheared?
Many breeds of sheep, such as Merino sheep, have been selected over centuries to produce a large amount of wool, so in these cases, shearing is recommended since, if not, would grow indefinitely.
Excess wool generates too hot when temperatures rise and impair mobility. In addition, wool can also enhance the presence of parasites. In this sense, the story of Shrek is famous, a Merino sheep missing for years that was found with this look becoming a national symbol of New Zealand.
How and when is a sheep sheared?
The usual thing is to shear the sheep once a yearpreferably in spring, before the highest temperatures. Currently, the use of a electric machine specially designed for sheep shearing that has replaced traditional scissors. With this machine, shearing is achieved faster, although it has its contraindications since the protection offered by the sheep’s skin is eliminated.
One of the most popular methods exported from Australia is Tally-Hi promoted by the Australian Wool Corporation that aims to facilitate the process for both the shearer and the sheep. A professional shearer can remove all the fleece from a sheep in two or three minutes.
In this official document In 1989, the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food disseminated the Australian method of shearing sheep, which had the objective of replacing the traditional Spanish method that tied the animal’s legs, which meant a slower process and greater stress and anguish for the animal.
In this sense, it is recommended that shearing always be carried out by experts or under the guidance of experts to ensure, as far as possible, the speed of the process and the animal welfare.
And how much wool does a sheep give? It depends on the size of the animal and the breed, but it can be between 2 and 5 kg: a part of fine wool closest to the skin and another part of thicker wool from the outermost layer.
And then there is Shrek who added 27kg of wool after six years of “getting rid” of shearing while he was lost in the mountains of Otago: his fleece gave enough wool to make twenty suits.
Do sheep suffer from shearing?
Yes, they suffer to a greater or lesser extent, so it is the job of the shearer (and the authorities) to ensure that this process is the least stressful for the animals. It must be taken into account that mechanical shearing eliminates the skin’s protection against external agents, in addition to unprotect animals against the coldwhich is why it is recommended to organize the shearing at the most meteorologically suitable time of year.
That is why the moment of shearing is especially delicate in the coldest countries. In these cases, the manual method is still maintained to leave a sufficient layer of skin and wool to protect the animals.
It is also necessary to take into account the particular conditions of each animal that is sheared as indicated this article of the National Agri-Food Health and Quality Service of Argentina. For example, when performing the prepartum shearingcare must be increased since pregnancy is a critical physiological state and the period of greatest nutritional requirement.
Of course, any method used is not free of accidental cutsso it is recommended to immediately treat severe injuries, including “humanely euthanizing those who cannot recover.”
After shearing, it is essential to ensure the necessary food for the animals, ensuring that they maintain the appropriate body temperature, trying to separate the animals according to their state and type of gestation to optimize their control.
What about shearing in Australia?
It must be taken into account that this country is, by far, the largest producer of wool in the world, so it has not only spread many sophisticated practices to improve the process, such as a protein which makes it easier for the sheep to lose their fleece naturally.
But it has also been the subject of raw controversies about some practices of animal abuse reported by various entities such as PETA despite the efforts of associations such as AWI (Australian Wool Innovation) for promoting sheep management systems that ensure animal welfare.
In the eye of the hurricane, a system known as mulesing which consists of cutting pieces of meat from the hindquarters of the lambs with scissors, the objective of which is to create softer skin that does not accumulate moisture, avoiding diseases such as myiasis caused by the presence of fly eggs.
In this link and this You can expand the information about these complaints, although we warn you that the images and videos include very sensitive content.
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