Post by savage on Jun 8, 2008 20:07:12 GMT -5
SOME of Australia's biggest names have told an extreme US animal rights group to back off in its campaign to boycott a national icon.
As People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) convinced another international retailer to boycott Australian wool that has been mulesed, leading fashion designer Alex Perry has thrown his weight behind the wool industry.
"PETA needs to back off," Mr Perry said.
"I understand where they are coming from, there needs to be alternative to mulesing, but give farmers a chance to develop it."
Mulesing involves cutting the skin and wool from a sheep's backside to stop blowflies from laying eggs.
Mr Perry, along with rugby league star Nathan Hindmarsh, Myer, country music singers Gina Jeffreys, Shannon Noll and John Williamson want PETA to stop attacking wool farmers.
Mr Perry, the judge of Australia's Next Top Model, said executives sitting in offices overseas like New York should not be making a decision to boycott goods without all the facts.
He used Australian wool in his recent winter collection and vowed to continue to use it in the future.
"Wool is a huge export and the rest of the world gets our best, but PETA goes to the extreme and it doesn't understand how it impacts on our industry," he said.
The industry - which last year exported 395,000 tonnes of wool valued at $2.09 billion - has agreed to phase out mulesing by 2010 and is already using alternatives like anaesthetic and plastic clips.
But the group has not backed off.
Fifth-generation wool grower Jamie Swales, who runs 10,000 sheep near Armidale, said he was gradually phasing out mulesing.
"We will try and gradually breed out wrinkly backsides by selecting sheep with less wrinkle, but it takes time, it doesn't happen overnight," he said. "Farmers don't mules sheep to be cruel, it's the better option available. Instead of crucifying us, (PETA) should be working with us to come up with alternatives."
PETA claims it has convinced 34 international companies with more than 3000 stores across the US and Europe to join its campaign. The latest is German-based companies, Adidas and Clemens and August, which have followed in the steps of Swedish-based AB Lindex, to black-ban Australian wool that has been mulesed.
AB Lindex spokeswoman Sara Carlsson confirmed PETA had been "steering" the company over animal rights issues.
She could not explain what mulesing was or why it was done when The Daily Telegraph questioned her about the issue
"I have never seen this. I can't explain it to you," she said.
"We are a fashion company not an expert on how to treat animals. We want to shame Australia into seeing that mulesing ends, it's important to put pressure of Australian industry to look at other options."
Myer National Corporate Affairs Manager Mitch Catlin yesterday added: "Myer is throwing its support behind our Aussie farmers, given we are Australia's largest department store and the home of leading Aussie designers and fashion."
As People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) convinced another international retailer to boycott Australian wool that has been mulesed, leading fashion designer Alex Perry has thrown his weight behind the wool industry.
"PETA needs to back off," Mr Perry said.
"I understand where they are coming from, there needs to be alternative to mulesing, but give farmers a chance to develop it."
Mulesing involves cutting the skin and wool from a sheep's backside to stop blowflies from laying eggs.
Mr Perry, along with rugby league star Nathan Hindmarsh, Myer, country music singers Gina Jeffreys, Shannon Noll and John Williamson want PETA to stop attacking wool farmers.
Mr Perry, the judge of Australia's Next Top Model, said executives sitting in offices overseas like New York should not be making a decision to boycott goods without all the facts.
He used Australian wool in his recent winter collection and vowed to continue to use it in the future.
"Wool is a huge export and the rest of the world gets our best, but PETA goes to the extreme and it doesn't understand how it impacts on our industry," he said.
The industry - which last year exported 395,000 tonnes of wool valued at $2.09 billion - has agreed to phase out mulesing by 2010 and is already using alternatives like anaesthetic and plastic clips.
But the group has not backed off.
Fifth-generation wool grower Jamie Swales, who runs 10,000 sheep near Armidale, said he was gradually phasing out mulesing.
"We will try and gradually breed out wrinkly backsides by selecting sheep with less wrinkle, but it takes time, it doesn't happen overnight," he said. "Farmers don't mules sheep to be cruel, it's the better option available. Instead of crucifying us, (PETA) should be working with us to come up with alternatives."
PETA claims it has convinced 34 international companies with more than 3000 stores across the US and Europe to join its campaign. The latest is German-based companies, Adidas and Clemens and August, which have followed in the steps of Swedish-based AB Lindex, to black-ban Australian wool that has been mulesed.
AB Lindex spokeswoman Sara Carlsson confirmed PETA had been "steering" the company over animal rights issues.
She could not explain what mulesing was or why it was done when The Daily Telegraph questioned her about the issue
"I have never seen this. I can't explain it to you," she said.
"We are a fashion company not an expert on how to treat animals. We want to shame Australia into seeing that mulesing ends, it's important to put pressure of Australian industry to look at other options."
Myer National Corporate Affairs Manager Mitch Catlin yesterday added: "Myer is throwing its support behind our Aussie farmers, given we are Australia's largest department store and the home of leading Aussie designers and fashion."