Mulesing is a surgical procedure performed on some Merino sheep, typically without anaesthetic, to prevent a condition called flystrike. PureFleece® is made exclusively from mulesing-free Merino - wool from farms that manage flystrike through breeding and land management instead of surgery.
Part of our series on where PureFleece® comes from - start with Where PureFleece® actually comes from.
What is mulesing and why is it done?
Mulesing involves removing strips of skin from around a lamb's breech to create smooth, scarred tissue that won't hold moisture or attract flies. It was developed in Australia in the 1930s as a response to a genuinely serious animal welfare problem - flystrike - and for decades became a standard, if crude, industry practice.
What is flystrike, and why does it justify this to some farmers?
Flystrike happens when blowflies lay eggs in moist, soiled wool around a sheep's rear end; the hatched maggots then feed on the animal's flesh, causing severe pain and, if untreated, death. It's a real and serious risk, particularly for Merino sheep, whose heavily wrinkled skin - bred for maximum wool yield - creates more of the moist folds flies target. Mulesing was adopted because it reduces that risk, not out of indifference to animal welfare.
How do mulesing-free farms prevent it instead?
Modern flystrike prevention doesn't require surgery. Breeding programmes now select for sheep with smoother, less wrinkled skin that doesn't hold moisture in the first place. That's paired with proactive practices like crutching (trimming wool away from the breech), targeted preventative treatments, and closer monitoring during high-risk periods. It requires more active management than mulesing, but it removes the need for the procedure entirely.
How can you verify a brand's mulesing-free claim?
Ask where the wool is sourced from and whether that's stated on the product page, not just in marketing copy. A specific, traceable answer is a good sign; a vague "ethically sourced" claim with no detail is worth questioning further.
Where Woolf's wool actually comes from
PureFleece® uses only mulesing-free Merino, sourced from farms that manage flystrike through the breeding and land-management methods described above. It's woven at one of the world's finest mills, in Yorkshire, then made purely in Britain - a supply chain we can speak to specifically, not just in general terms.
Related reading: Where PureFleece® actually comes from · What Woolmark certification actually means · What does "made purely in Britain" actually mean?