The Wolf In Shepherd's Clothing

[Knight of Albion]

Sheep and lambs and the meat and wool industries ...

http://www.saawinternational.org/sheepandlambs.htm

[Catherine]

How did we ever come to this, that we routinely treat farm animals this way. I know it is done to maximize profits, but is it really worth it.

It seems that there are no farm animals that we treat well. Sheep are such gentle creatures and they are clearly being treated very badly throughout their whole lives.

What kind of person would wear a garment made from an unborn sheep? I can't imagine being in the same room as them.

[LPC]

Thanks for the link, Noble Knight. Thankfully artificial insemination of sheep is still rare in France (although sadly routine with bulls/cows). But judging by the webpage you gave this practice seems to be common in some countries.

As for mulesing, this is a cruel and unnecessary procedure. In the UK, farmers are not allowed to perform this, as it classed as a vetinary intervention. I have not heard of it being done in France. But in Australia this painful procedure seems to be common. Very sad. There are plenty of treatments to prevent sheep getting fly strike, without the need for such inhumane practices.

There is another instructive page here: https://www.vegsoc.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=543

[Catherine]

It seems that some countries have better laws than others. So if sheep are exported to bad countries there is nothing to protect them.

There seem to be a lot of medical procedures that can be done without painkillers or proper training. For every rule there is a way to get around it.
Selling a 2 day old lamb is just wrong. Wanting to eat such a tiny baby is strange.

It also seems that sheep are not really allowed to be sheep any more.
We have lost something beautiful when flocks of sheep no longer live and graze gently in the fields.

[Tobi]

Humans have often been very stupid or very arrogant -requiring some sort of 'proof' (such as??) -that an animal of any other species is capable of feeling pain!
They should just KNOW this.

I do believe things are getting better concerning animal husbandry practices which may be traditional, but cause pain or distress. I do think that generally, people are starting to wake up. I think that will gain more momentum through the coming years.

I am interested, LPC, about which treatments will deter blow-flies (thus fly-strike.) Are they conventional medicine or herbal?

[Catherine]

Quote:I do believe things are getting better concerning animal husbandry practices which may be traditional, but cause pain or distress. I do think that generally, people are starting to wake up. I think that will gain more momentum through the coming years.

I think you are right. I think the key to change is communication of information. The internet allows information to reach around the world almost instantly. People are learning things even if they don't want to know. Now that people are starting to know what goes on with animals they can't ignore what we do and they can't pretend that animals don't feel.
All those funny cat videos that we watch do serve a purpose. They make us sensitive to animals. Cute baby animal videos help as well.
You see the cute baby animal and then you hear that cute babies like that are treated cruelly in a veal farm. The cute chicks that you laughed at are getting ground up alive in a hatchery.
I don't think people are clear on what to do, but they are wanting to do something.
Someday we will look back and wonder how people could have been so cruel.

[LPC]

Tobi, to answer your question, although I use natural (non-chemical or artificial) treatments where possible, in the case of prevention of blowfly strike I make an exception, as the results of infestation can be appalling. I never had one case in all the time I had a flock, using a simple pour-on treatment. You can read about similar UK equivalents here:
http://www.farmanimalhealth.co.uk/sheep-blowfly
and
http://parasitipedia.net/index.php?optio...temid=2835

I actually used Butox pour-on, which is a simple "put a few drops on neck and back" treatment, similar to the method used for cats and dogs against fleas (but not the same product, of course!):
http://www.butox-info.com/butox/spc-butox75.asp

[Catherine]

I had no idea that the blow flies could actually kill a sheep with their infestation. I can see why the problem is treated so vigorously, it just doesn't need to be cruel.

It sounds like there are a number of good products on the market.
Do you have to treat the sheep more than once a year? Does the treatment wash off.
Is this just a sheep problem or do goats have similar issues?

[LPC]

I usually treat twice a year, but it depends on the weather each year. The treatment passes into the skin, so the rain is not an issue once the treatment has started acting - but of course it is best applied during dry weather.

I can't tell you anything about goats, I'm afraid. Let's hope AnimalFamily passes by!

[Catherine]

Maybe it is just a sheep problem since they have so much hair. Goats are different.
It certainly can't be harder to use a humane treatment than to use a cruel one. As you say, it is twice a year and the treatment passes into the skin. It probably doesn't take very long to do the treatment.