Many retailers and consumers are concerned about the practice of fly strike prevention (mulesing). At Yarn in Motion by Südwolle we take a firm position, making it plain that we place the utmost importance on animal welfare.

We encourage fast application of alternative prevention methods to cease
the current practice. Together with our raw material suppliers we can offer
special programs for a traceable product in accordance with our customers’ specifications and marketing needs.

Since quite some time the topic of fly strike prevention is an important issue throughout the supply chain of wool users. We agree to the importance of this issue since all participants of the supply chain up to the final consumer have the right of knowing in which environment and under which production conditions their product is being manufactured. Immediately after this matter came into discussion, we have expressed our position.

We take the needs of our clients and downstream partners seriously. Through our possibilities in the wool industry we push at all levels for the fast adaption of alternatives. It is our commitment to help dealing with these needs in a constructive manner. We can offer special programs which we can develop together with our clients. There is always the possibility of sourcing specific wools within the supply chain. This will have an influence on the lead time by simultaneously offering greater transparency. Further alternatives can be developed on request.

In this context the great advantages of wool should not be forgotten. Wool is an natural fibre and 100 % biodegradable, which clearly distinguishes it from synthetics. Wool is a sustainable and renewable resource and thereby helps to balance our environmental system. Although the biggest portion of Merino wool comes from Australia, there are quite a few alternative compositions available. Origins like New Zealand, South Africa, South America, etc. provide readily available sources. Taken together, Merino wool from these locations with slightly different properties is a very suitable alternative. These wools have already been part of our programmes for many years.

Wools from respectful animal husbandry management are also available in Australia with a variety of certificates. Even though quantities presently are still limited, strong efforts for an increase are undertaken. Details on this subject can be found on the website http://www.wool.com/ under the heading “fly strike prevention in Australian sheep”.

A further possibility to tackle this matter is the establishment of special supply chains. This has proven to work in several areas and we are strongly in favour of the advantages of such an approach. Of course, we are happy to provide certificates as documentation for the blends and proveniences of the raw material we are using.

We would like to point out, that on our farm in Australia we only use fly strike prevention methods, which are broadly accepted by all responsible stakeholders like animal welfare groups.  We have implemented this philosophy since many years and may say that we are proud to be pioneers in this field.

For additional questions, please feel free to contact us directly or contact any of our representatives worldwide.