New Zealand Merino Company to investigate PETA claims

A week ago, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) claimed it had gone inside 11 New Zealand farms and shearing sheds producing ZQ-certified wool.

For a wool grower to be ZQ-certified, they must adhere to a number of standards including those around animal welfare, fibre quality, care for the environment, and social responsibility.

PETA says that in footage it obtained and released shearers can be seen kicking and beating sheep, and sheep were left with gaping wounds that were stitched up without painkillers.

The organization states that shearers working at the Lake Hawea farm leased by former American TV show host Matt Lauer stepped on a thrashing sheep’s neck, and sewed up a sheep’s wound without painkillers.

However, despite PETA’s claims, NZM says the farm is not and has never been a supplier to its ZQ Programme.

In a statement to media, the company said it does not tolerate breaches of animal welfare guidelines.

“We are committed to investigating all allegations and urge PETA to provide us more detail about filming locations and the timing of the recordings,” NZM says.

“Should any ZQ accredited farms be identified during the investigation, alongside the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries and our third-party audit body Control Union we will take all necessary and appropriate action, up to and including expulsion from the programme,” the company states.