Morrissey to Uniqlo: 'Mulesing Is Misery'

Wendy / PETA.org writes:

I thought you might be interested in the letter that Morrissey has just fired off on PETA Asia's behalf to Tokyo-based international clothing retailer Uniqlo. As you can see from the letter below, Moz—who finished up his Japanese tour today—is asking Uniqlo to follow the lead of H&M, Gap Inc., Abercrombie & Fitch, and the other companies who have moved away from using wool from Australian farmers who mutilate sheep in a practice called "mulesing," in which large chunks of skin and flesh are cut from lambs' backsides in a crude, cruel, and ineffective attempt to prevent maggot infestation.

"Years ago, I wrote a song called 'Meat Is Murder', and today I'm tempted to write a follow-up called 'Mulesing Is Misery,'" writes Morrissey. "Australia [is] the only country in the world that still clings to this cruel and barbaric abomination. Won't you please join the many international companies that have implemented a ban on wool from mulesed lambs?"

Morrissey's letter follows and is also available here.



Tadashi Yanai
President
Fast Retailing
[email protected]

Dear Mr Yanai,

On behalf of my friends at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Asia, I am writing to ask you to put an end to Uniqlo's use of wool from Australian farmers who persist in mutilating sheep using a technique called "mulesing" in order to prevent a maggot infestation known as "flystrike". Flystrike-prevention methods that don't involve maiming animals are available and in use by some sheep farmers.

Years ago, I wrote a song called "Meat Is Murder", and today I'm tempted to write a follow-up called "Mulesing Is Misery". Shears are used to cut huge chunks of skin and flesh from lambs' backsides with little to no painkillers. The idea is to create a smooth scar that will not collect urine and faeces, which attract flies, but the gaping, bloody wounds often become infested with maggots before they have time to heal. Moreover, humane options do exist, and a number of Australian wool farmers have already stopped mulesing and instead have simply improved their husbandry practices, including crutching and jetting more frequently, closely monitoring sheep during fly season and breeding bare-breech sheep. New Zealand farmers did away with mulesing nearly a decade ago, leaving Australia as the only country in the world that still clings to this cruel and barbaric abomination.

Won't you please join the many international companies that have implemented a ban on wool from mulesed lambs? China's Sunshine Group, which is Australia's largest wool buyer, has demanded that Australian wool growers put an end to mulesing, citing increasing requests from clients that it provide products made from the wool of sheep who weren't mulesed.

I hope to hear from you soon that Uniqlo will buy wool only from farmers who have stopped mutilating sheep altogether.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Morrissey




morrissey_to_uniqlo_japan_april_2012.jpg
 
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Oh so that's why he doesn't tour here? Hey Moz maybe you should leave planet earth and search for this perfect utopia and tour there?
 
There are still some stances of his we can be proud about.
 
Great copy of his sig I wonder if Mr Yanai would sell it?
 
I grew up on a farm, but had to look up what 'crutching' is - shearing the wool off most vulnerable areas - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crutching

Jetting, presumably, is spraying with disinfectant and other prophylactic solutions. Morrissey sounds very well-informed about shepherding his flocks, all in all. :p
 
You're sweet, goinghome. :)
 
It's good of Morrissey to write such a letter to Uniqlo however, he seems to be OK with tossing his $300.00 Yves Saint Lauren shirts into the crowds at his adoring audience. www.ysl.com has plenty of disgusting fur items for sale. What's wrong with this picture?
 
I'm impressed that he's done some research on China and realized there are voices of compassion and concern for animals amidst that vast civilization with it's historical 'famine cuisines'. I wonder why he didn't take the show to China and Taiwan. I guess no viable offers from promoters.

'What happens to sheep raised for their wool when they can no longer produce? They are crowded onto multilevel ships and shipped worldwide to countries where animal welfare standards are non-existent. Many don't even survive the trip. If they do, they are dragged off the ships, loaded onto trucks, pulled by their ears and legs to unregulated slaughterhouses, where their throats are slit, often while fully conscious.'

http://www.aplnj.org/Living-Cruelty-free.php

It's almost impossible to live without being implicated in animal cruelty. I'm all for 'ethical wool' even though the end fate of those animals is as barbaric as mulesing, and also needs compassionate change.

I'm impressed by Morrissey's attention to detail in this letter. Humans will always use animals for food, clothes, transport and work. The real gulf isn't between vegan/veggie and carni/onmivore: it's between compassion and sadism. This intervention by Morrissey is a subtle and patient attention to micro issues in animal husbandry:

http://www.ciwf.org.uk/

brummieboy
 
Nice to see him write a letter which, rather than resort to crazy analogies, simply makes it's point with intelligence.
 
Great letter. This practice is unacceptable particularly if alternative remedies are available.
 
Oh so that's why he doesn't tour here? Hey Moz maybe you should leave planet earth and search for this perfect utopia and tour there?

After listening to sreeching yooung i think hes got a f***in cheeck talking about submitting anyone to torture

irene
 
There are still some stances of his we can be proud about.

imagine anyone giving a flying f*** about the eejit says just bleed us where nnext mozzer? iren

if u carry on in this bleedin spoiled fashin well all tell u to f*** off

why doesnt he shut the f*** up and sing if he can
 
Welp, there goes ANY chance of a tour down here now. Can I get a high 5 Canadian buddies?

Hey Pokey,

I don't want to see Boz in drag with a semi naked band anyway. The gigs have become a performance. I ain't desperate to see him live now anyway. Happy to have seen one of Alain and Gary's last gigs :) I can now breathe out! Aaahhhhhh....

- marred.
 
Oh so that's why he doesn't tour here? Hey Moz maybe you should leave planet earth and search for this perfect utopia and tour there?

no dear hes above our thinking - He chooses to live in california then starts throwing stones - f***in irony doesnt come close

irene
 

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