PETA Sets the Record Straight Amid a Barrage of Misinformation and Lies

Australian sheep farmers who are actively taking steps to end mulesing and understand the urgent need for the use of pain relief, both before and after mulesing, deserve praise and support from industry representatives, the Australian government, and international retailers alike. PETA applauds the efforts of these compassionate farmers and hopes that their commitment to adopting better animal-husbandry practices will encourage other farmers to take steps to make the lives and deaths of the animals in their care more humane.

For more than two years, PETA has tried to enter into meaningful, productive dialogue with the Australian wool industry. Unfortunately, many wool industry representatives have refused to work with PETA and other animal welfare organizations to establish clear guidelines for improving the welfare of sheep in the industry. Their knee-jerk reactions, misleading statements, and total misrepresentation or misunderstanding of PETA's goals and intentions are a disservice to the farmers they claim to represent. To set the record straight, PETA therefore offers the following position statements:

• As the Keniry report on the live-export trade acknowledged, the Australian government has a responsibility to set and enforce (and the industry has a responsibility to meet) standards in the live-export trade that meet Australian animal welfare requirements. PETA is simply asking that the industries involved in this trade demonstrate to the Australian people that Australia's sheep are protected by and handled within Australian animal welfare standards from the time that sheep leave their homes to the time of their death, whether or not that death occurs on Australian soil. If the industry can demonstrate that Australian welfare standards are being met throughout this process, then the requirements of the agreement between the Australian Wool Growers Association (AWGA) and PETA will have been met and PETA's campaign against the Australian live-export trade will cease. PETA's principal concern is not with Australian animal welfare standards per se, but rather that existing Australian standards are not being enforced and that Australian animals are being sent from Australian farms into situations with conditions that do not comply with accepted Australian standards.
• PETA is calling for a review of animal welfare standards in the live-export trade by acknowledged and independent international technical experts who are mutually agreed upon by PETA and the Australian wool industry. PETA has no interest in any hands-on involvement in that review.
• PETA wants to be sure that Australian authorities (governments and industry) are properly implementing Australia's own animal welfare standards but is not interested in being a part of the on-farm component of regulatory or quality-assurance programs for Australian farmers. Australian authorities can produce the data necessary to publicly demonstrate that Australia's agreed-upon animal welfare standards are being implemented by farmers and others in Australia's animal industries. PETA is happy for any necessary auditing of this data to be done by Australians and people chosen by Australians for the task.
• It is reasonable to say that if Australian farmers want to succeed in the global markets of the modern world, they must expect to have to deal with global values in those markets. As so many other industries have done, Australian sheep farmers need to accept animal welfare as a "market signal" and respond to this signal in the same way that they have successfully responded to other market signals in the past—by making the necessary investments and incurring the costs to supply products that customers want, adapting to the changing world around them and thereby gaining the opportunity to take advantage of lucrative premiums as a result.
• PETA is a pragmatic organization, and we eagerly accept opportunities to work with industries to improve the welfare conditions for animals used in those industries. We have successfully worked with many industries and retailers to bring an end to the most egregious animal suffering, making the lives and deaths of billions of animals a bit less miserable. Campaigning is costly and time-consuming, and we would much rather work with an industry than against it. When PETA ended its campaign against McDonald's, we continued to work behind the scenes with the restaurant chain to provide support and advice on its animal welfare standards. And Gap Inc., one of the largest clothing retailers in the U.S., agreed to stop using leather from India and China after a vigorous PETA campaign; because of this agreement, PETA worked with Gap behind the scenes during the boycott of Australian wool, and Gap now, through the Businesses for Social Responsibility alliance, supports the AWGA/PETA agreement.
• Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) and WoolProducers (WP) say that they are interested in improving animal welfare. Given that this is also PETA's aim, it would seem that there is common ground for discussion between PETA and the Australian wool industry. The refusal by AWI and WP to talk to PETA about improving sheep welfare creates some very serious doubt about the sincerity of AWI and WP claims. If industries that use animals are serious about improving animal welfare, they should welcome engagement with PETA and other organizations with the same objective.
• PETA understands that adopting widespread changes is difficult, and our agreement with the AWGA proves that we are willing to work with industries to develop programs that allow industries to adjust to measured, gradual changes. PETA works cooperatively with industries throughout the world to improve welfare conditions for animals. Sometimes successful cooperation requires compromise, including making small concessions in the short term that benefit many in the long term. The details of the AWGA/PETA agreement reflect the outcome of a serious dialogue between PETA and AWGA and small changes in both parties' original positions. What both now have is a way forward without ongoing and costly conflict.

When the agreement between the AWGA and PETA is examined carefully, it becomes clear that this historic pact will bring relief to Australian farmers and lambs alike. For more information on the agreement and PETA's long history of working cooperatively with industries, please visit PETA.org.