PETA’s lies and the truth about shearing

I guess it comes as no surprise that I’m friends with a LOT of people who keep flocks of fiber producing animals, and over the last couple of weeks I’ve seen many of them expressing their outrage over PETA’s latest bit of anti-wool propaganda. This “ad” shows a man holding what appears to be a bloodied lamb with large patches of skin missing with the caption “Here’s the rest of your wool coat.” There’s a huge problem though, the lamb is a prop made of foam.

Yes, that’s right. It’s a fake. Surprised? You shouldn’t be. PETA has a history of using deception and outright lies in its attempts to demonize the use of animals by humans for any reason whatsoever. This organization which claims to be for the ETHICAL treatment of animals not only euthanizes up to 98% of the cats and dogs that come into its “shelter” they actually go out and steal family pets from private property to be euthanized.
Not exactly a model of respectability or believability, right?

PETA has uncovered what appears to be legitimate abuse in the commercial wool industry with videos of unconscionable acts by shearers and handlers. You can Google the videos if you want. I won’t link to them here because they are indeed awful. The trouble is, PETA insists this deplorable activity in their video is rampant in the industry and practically standard practice. It’s not, but PETA has a penchant for using that kind propaganda like that to manipulate.

Are there some bad apples out there? Are there farmers who don’t treat their livestock well? Are there shearers who have no concern for the well being of the animals they are charged with shearing? I’m sure there are. But they’re the exception, not the rule. Like I said, I know a LOT of people who keep flocks of fiber producing animals, and none of them would allow their animals to be treated badly. When the fiber from your animals is your source of livelihood you want it to be the best quality fiber it can be, and that means more than just having your animals professionally shorn. Quality fiber comes from quality care, feeding, and vetting your animals from the moment they are born.