Animal rights activists have come out in force against the British wool industry, explaining to the public that wearing wool is cruel.
Animal rights charity PETA is best known for its anti-fur stunts but these days they’re more concerned about woolly jumpers.
PETA co-founder Ingrid Newkirk has recently come out saying that cutting sheep's wool is cruel.
And animal activist Elisa Allen, who appeared on Wednesday's (27 September) ITV's This Morning programme, said the organisation had visited 30 shearing systems across three continent.
She said that in each system, PETA saw sheep being "mutilated" and being "abused".
The programme proceeded to display an undercover video of men shearing sheep, hitting sheep in the face while they were being shorn.
'Necessary to the wellbeing'
However, NFU livestock board chairman and sheep farmer Charles Sercombe, who also appeared on the programme, disagreed. He said that shearing sheep is essential for the animal's welfare.
He said: "I do it because it's absolutely essential and necessary for the wellbeing of my sheep."
"They certainly wouldn't sheer any of my sheep, if anybody sheered any of my sheep like that they would be thrown off my farm.
"Our sheep are sheared in a much more sensible and humane way. It’s done by highly skilled professionals who we have year on year because of the quality of the job they carry out, the quality of the work they do and the way they treat and respect my sheep. It is absolutely essential we do that."
'Absolutely essential'
Mr Sercombe said it is "absolutely essential" to sheer the sheep at least once a year.
"If we don't sheer the sheep it is cruel to keep the wool on, they are more prone to fly strike."
Mr Sercombe continued: "I think we shouldn’t delude ourselves, it’s not as though sheep were just dropping dead left and right before humans invented the sheep shearing process."
In a poll conducted during the programme, 92% of the viewing public said they supported the British wool industry.
