Why is Sheep Shearing Wrong?

[jessvegan.fta]

Why is sheep shearing wrong? (for non-profit)

Hey everyone! I am new to veganism and animal ethics, so please forgive me if this is a dumb question. I was wondering why it is wrong to shave sheep that are genetically engineered to grow more wool than they're supposed to if it's for their health. Would it also be wrong to use that wool for yarn or something else (as long as it's not for profit) so it doesn't go to waste?

 

[Ahimsa24/7]

Here's an interesting web page detailing the reasons TO shear and the reasons NOT to utilize the wool, for what it's worth.

Why Do Sheep Need Shearing? and Other FAQs - Farm Sanctuary

Isn’t sheep shearing an industry thing? Why do we do it at Farm Sanctuary? Here are the top five questions we get about the topic. It takes about three days to shear the 80+ sheep at our New York shelter.

www.farmsanctuary.org

 

[jessvegan.fta]

Here's an interesting web page detailing the reasons TO shear and the reasons NOT to utilize the wool, for what it's worth.

Why Do Sheep Need Shearing? and Other FAQs - Farm Sanctuary

Isn’t sheep shearing an industry thing? Why do we do it at Farm Sanctuary? Here are the top five questions we get about the topic. It takes about three days to shear the 80+ sheep at our New York shelter.

www.farmsanctuary.org

Thank you! That was a really nice article! Now I see that keeping the wool is still not great and I love that they give it back to nature! I realize that keeping the wool would sort of be like keeping the hair after we get a haircut. Except taking it from someone who was previously treated very poorly to get it in the first place.

 

[Tom L.]

That was an informative article about how breeding sheep to produce excess wool, and the shearing process itself, is unpleasant and harmful for the sheep. I still don't understand why they dispose of- actually, waste- their animals' wool the way they do. Making garments from their sheep's wool would not reinforce the notion that sheep are commodities- they clearly do not see them that way. And this would compete with (however slightly) wool producers who don't treat their animals nearly so well.

It seems to me that they are so intent on making a statement that animals are not ours to use that they are going overboard.

 

[1956]

Here's an interesting web page detailing the reasons TO shear and the reasons NOT to utilize the wool, for what it's worth.

Why Do Sheep Need Shearing? and Other FAQs - Farm Sanctuary

Isn’t sheep shearing an industry thing? Why do we do it at Farm Sanctuary? Here are the top five questions we get about the topic. It takes about three days to shear the 80+ sheep at our New York shelter.

www.farmsanctuary.org

Thanks for sharing this great article @Ahimsa24/7 I found it to be Really informative! If you read the article carefully @Tom L. you’ll see that they don’t “waste” the wool at all - composing it is the Natural thing to do with it! If it was used to make items that would just continue to perpetrate the problem with Sheeps being exploited.

 

[Tom L.]

@1956 Hmmm... that IS what would happen to the wool if the sheep were living on their own: it would be shed when the cold weather was done, and the sheep didn't need it anymore. And when my pet cats and rabbits used to shed their fur, I didn't feel the need to make anything out of it... but then, there wasn't that much of it, even from a total of 5 cats and 3 rabbits living with me at various times over a 19-year period.

 

[Graeme M]

They explain very well just why even rescued sheep need to be sheared. Sure it might be a bit scary for sheep but then so can clipping nails and fur be scary for our companion dogs. I can even see why they don't use the wool in a commercial sense, but I think that might be fair enough only for a large and profitable sanctuary. Many sanctuaries struggle for an income and the animals often suffer as a result. Selling waste from an animal to add to income can help a sanctuary remain profitable, ultimately benefiting all the animals at the sanctuary.

So I wonder what you think. If I went out into nature and found some apples growing and I collected them and sold them, would that be OK? What about if I found some wild sheep fleece on the ground, could I collect and sell that?

By the way, I've watched sheep being sheared at my farmer friend's place and when done by competent shearers it is pretty quick and minimally stressful for the sheep. Unfortunately, some shearers aren't that good and I'm not sure most farmers actually care that much.

 

[LoreD]

One of the issues is that the shearing is done at a really fast pace, with no thought to the comfort and health of the animal. I watched a documentary on this, and they were shearing them so fast that the animals were coming out covered in deep cuts and bruises. It is very traumatic and painful for the animal.

Please read the articles. It is absolutely horrifying.

PETA’s 5th Australian Wool Exposé Leads to Guilty Plea to Cruelty Charge​

https://www.petaasia.com/news/fifth-wool-expose-australia-cruelty-charge/

US and Australian wool industries exposed in shocking undercover footage captured by animal rights groups​

Peta said its videos showed abuses – including twisting the necks of sheep until they snapped – were widespread throughout the industry​

US and Australian wool industries exposed in shocking undercover

Peta said its videos showed abuses – including twisting the necks of sheep until they snapped – were widespread throughout the industry

www.independent.co.uk