The Wire

The long-running debate over sheep mulesing came to the fore yesterday as a minority group of Australian wool growers agreed to phase out sheep mulesing by 2010.The plan was proposed by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, and was signed by the Australian Wool Growers Association.While President of the AWGA, CHICK OLSSON, believes the agreement is a breakthrough…others are not convinced.President of WoolProducers ROBERT PIETSCH has rejected the proposal, saying there must be an acceptable alternative to mulesing before the practice can be phased out.Without the practice of mulesing or some alternative solution, millions of Australian sheep could suffer a horrific death by blow-fly strike.But Mr OLSSON from AWGA says he’s confident an alternative will be commercially available by 2007.Mr OLSSON spoke with The Wire’s Marion Grasby about the agreement he’s signed with PETA.