Today's blog features guest blogger peta2 UK's Violet.H&M stands for Hennes & Mauritz! But we think it should stand for Hurray & Marvelous!!! Because after discussions with PETA US about how lambs in the Australian wool industry are mutilated during the
"mulesing" procedure, they've made a company policy to source
wool from outside Australia. H&M is committed to ensuring that any wool it purchases from down under doesn't come from farmers who still practice this barbaric procedure.
Photo credit: Curbed/Creative CommonsFor those unfamiliar with mulesing: Australian farmers breed sheep to grow extremely wrinkly skin so they produce more wool, these folds of excess skin collect urine and moisture in the hot weather and attracted to the moisture, flies lay eggs in the folds of the skin. To prevent the hatched maggots from eating the sheep alive, many Australian ranchers use gardening shears to cut huge chunks of skin and flesh from lamb's backsides (without any painkillers) in this cruel practice. If that wasn't enough, after all that, when the sheep are no longer producing enough wool, they are crammed onto export ships to be sent to the Middle East, where they'll be cruelly slaughtered.
H&M even posted a kick ass mulesing info section in their corporate responsibility section on their Website stating, "H&M does not accept mulesing, the surgical procedure carried out on merino sheep in Australia in order to prevent flystrike. The company has decided to direct its buying towards other countries of origin and other suppliers in Australia that can guarantee mulesing-free merino wool."
We love H&M! Now we've got just one more reason to go
shopping!
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VioletX