MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Boycott against Benetton for sheep “museling”.

The United States chapter of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, PETA has called on consumers to boycott Italian Benetton textile fashion garments claiming they are made of wool from Australian sheep exposed to some of the worst abuses in the industry.

PETA activists distributed leaflets in a Santa Monica Benetton store and invited potential shoppers to see videos depicting "museling" operations in sheep by Australian farmers.

"PETA is calling on Benetton to stop buying Australian wool and help eliminate the two worst abuses suffered by sheep in the wool industry", said Matt Prescott Los Angeles coordinator of the campaign.

In Australia, lambs are put through a gruesome procedure called mulesing, in which huge chunks of skin are sliced from the animals' backsides, with no painkillers given to the animals. Then, when their wool production declines, sheep are shipped to the Middle East on open-deck ships. These journeys, which can last months, are to countries where animal welfare standards are non-existent. So the suffering sheep are dragged off the ships, loaded into trucks, sometimes upside-down, and then have their throats slit while they are fully conscious.

"Although there are alternatives to mulesing and live export, it is because companies like Benetton continue to purchase wool from them that Australian farmers have no incentive to change. Benetton can change this by refusing to purchase wool from Australia, at least until mulesing and live exporting are stopped", argues PETA illustrating with a video titled "Shopping Guide to Compassionate Clothing" where it describes an alternative method to help animals killed for their skin, fur or fleece.

"When we asked the Italian company why they were using wool from sheep exposed to mulesing they told us they would not collaborate with us and would continue working with the Australian farms in spite of our claims", highlighted Mr. Prescott.