By RNZ
A New Zealand Merino Company director and wool supplier says using pain relief during tailing - which will be mandatory for its suppliers from next year - is worth the money to reduce the lamb’s stress levels.
Many farmers docked the tail of their sheep under the age of six months to reduce the risk of flystrike - but for sheep older than six months, it had to be carried out by a veterinarian with pain relief.
From June 2025, all of New Zealand Merino Company’s suppliers of ZQ-accredited Merino wool will have to administer pain relief for castration, tailing and shearing injuries - as the wool marketing company aimed to secure premium market access for its Merino wool into clothing brands like Icebreaker and Smartwool.
The company said it was in the middle of a staged roll-out of the new pain relief requirements this month for those supplying wool under its ethics-focused ZQ accreditation.