Growing Pressure on Australian Government, as Half a Million Global Supporters Demand an End to Live Lamb Cutting
Global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS delivers petition condemning political inaction to Australian embassies and consulates
Vienna, 01 June 2026
- Australian ambassadors across Europe and the United States are urged to engage with the Australian Federal Government, and call for the review of current animal welfare standards and guidelines for sheep management
- Global calls to end live lamb cutting, backed by 500,000 supporters, and commitments by nearly 150 fashion brands demanding higher animal welfare in the wool industry
- With 80% market share, Australia is the world’s biggest producer of fine apparel wool and is the only country where live lamb cutting — also known as mulesing — is still practised
Campaigners from global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS handed over a petition signed by 500,000 supporters worldwide to Australian embassies and consulates in major cities across Europe and the United States. Their clear message to the Australian government is to end live lamb cutting by 2030 — a practice responsible for an estimated ten million lambs being mutilated each year — and to bring animal welfare standards in line with public and market expectations. The coordinated demonstrations have taken place in Berlin, Bern, The Hague, London, Sofia, and Washington, D.C., with Vienna and Sydney still to follow.
Background Information
In 2004, Australian wool industry leaders announced to phase out the cruel practice of live lamb cutting by 2010, only to abandon this commitment one year before the deadline. As a result, the practice continues, and it is estimated that over 140 million lambs had to endure this painful procedure over the last 20 years. In 2024, FOUR PAWS published The Broken Promise Report to mark 20 years of inaction.
The global movement of fashion brands against live lamb cutting is growing rapidly, with over 340 brands publicly committed to certified live lamb cut-free wool (mulesing-free) and nearly 150 international companies that have signed FOUR PAWS’ Brand Letter of Intent, including Hugo Boss, Adidas and Patagonia. These brands are not just committed to a future free of live lamb cutting; they also directly call on the Australian wool industry and government to end the practice by 2030.
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FOUR PAWS is the global animal welfare organisation for animals under direct human influence, which reveals suffering, rescues animals in need and protects them. Founded in 1988 in Vienna by Heli Dungler and friends, the organisation advocates for a world where humans treat animals with respect, empathy and understanding. The sustainable campaigns and projects of FOUR PAWS focus on companion animals including stray dogs and cats, farm animals and wild animals – such as bears, big cats and orangutans – kept in inappropriate conditions as well as in disaster and conflict zones. With offices in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cambodia, France, Germany, Kosovo, the Netherlands, Switzerland, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine, the UK, the USA and Vietnam as well as 13 wild animal sanctuaries and cooperation projects across the globe, FOUR PAWS provides rapid help and long-term solutions. www.four-paws.org