Baby Clings to Life at Australian Lamb Farm
Which animal loves to play, wags their tail to express joy, and will paw at you for pats?
A lamb, of course!
Like puppies in all the ways that matter, lambs are gentle, curious individuals who are killed at mere months old so we can eat their flesh.
Newly Released Footage Reveals Suffering in Aussie Lamb Industry
Newly released footage shot inside an Australian lamb operation by PETA Asia reveals dead and dying lambs, some covered in blood, others swarming with flies as their bodies rot in the scorching sun.
Workers were also filmed dragging lambs across concrete floors by their delicate limbs in scenes eerily reminiscent of PETA exposés into wool operations in Australia and around the globe.
Business as Usual in the Lamb Industry
This new footage isn’t a case of “a few bad apples” but represents routine practice in the meat industry.
More than 20 million lambs are slaughtered annually in Australia for their flesh, and most are raised in extensive pasture-based systems before being “fattened up” in a feedlot (like a factory farm), before slaughter. Outdoor feedlots usually lack shade, subjecting animals to the harsh Aussie elements, while indoor feedlots stress sheep with insufficient space and no opportunity to exercise, graze, or rest comfortably.
At just six to eight months, lambs are prodded onto trucks and driven without water or food on long journeys toward slaughter, where they’re dragged, screaming, toward a kill floor and have their throats slit.
Australian Lambs Mutilated from Birth
Mother lambs are doting and naturally stay close to their babies for up to six months, but they don’t get that chance in the food industry.
Taken from their mothers, the Australian industry estimates that around a quarter of newborn lambs—10 to 15 million animals—die annually from exposure or starvation within their first 48 hours of life.
Those who survive are subject to painful mutilations, like tail docking, castration and mulesing, often without pain relief.
Like all animals raised for meat, farming lambs is about getting the most bang for a farmer’s buck, meaning that welfare takes a back seat to profits, even if claimed otherwise.
Mutilations are cheap shortcuts to dealing with welfare concerns in ways that would make lambs’ lives better.
You Can Help Save Lambs
Helping animals is as easy as not putting babies in our ovens or mouths! Delicious vegan upgrades to lamb flesh, like Bird’s Eye Greek-style strips,Viana’s organic gyro meat, and Plantain’s Mediterranean roast, are easy to find in stores. Or, to impress both vegans and non-vegans alike, try your hand at Zacchary Bird’s herb-crusted vegan lamb cutlets.
You can also help lambs by never wearing wool and opting instead for cosy plant wool alternatives. Ready to help animals? Join our 30-day Vegan Challenge today and receive tips and support to help you turn over a new, cruelty-free leaf.
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