Shocking new PETA ad targets Aussie farmers – campaign calls for drug testing of wool workers

PETA has released a shocking new ad calling on farmers and lawmakers to take heed of the risks to animal welfare and human health when drug use by wool industry workers goes unchecked.

The ad  – which features the gaunt face of a man beside the words “Dave has been up on ice for three days” and “Shearing and drugs don’t mix” – has been seen by almost 25,000 people through a  Facebook campaign specifically targeting farmers.

Says Claire Fryer, PETA Australia campaign coordinator: “When workers shear sheep under the influence of drugs, human health is at risk and animals can be injured or even die. The Facebook ad links to a page that allows people to write directly to their local MP. PETA is letting farmers and lawmakers know what they can do to address the issue now: support the introduction of mandatory drug testing for shearers.”

Liberal Party delegate and wool producer Robert Lawrence has said that one shearer “[broke] 14 legs [of sheep] during two days’ shearing” and that drug use is one of the “top three issues facing the wool industry”. His fellow delegates agreed and called for mandatory drug testing. PETA US – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear” – revealed in an international exposé of the wool industry that workers beat sheep and jabbed them in the face with electric clippers and a hammer.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.au.