New advertisements urging consumers to boycott wool have appeared across Glasgow.
The ads show a woman wearing a wool turtleneck pulled up across her face. The statement next to her reads, “Don’t let them pull the wool over your eyes: wool is just as cruel as fur. Go wool-free this winter.”
The 20 new ads – which appear on buses across the city – were placed there by animal rights organization PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).
The group recently investigated the Scottish wool industry, uncovering abuse by wool workers in the country. According to PETA, Scottish workers were seen slamming sheep’s heads into the floor, hitting them in the face with electric clippers, as well as beating and kicking them.
The organization notes that sheep shearers are often paid by volume, and not by the hour, encouraging them to violently manhandle and abuse the animals in order to get the job done as quickly as possible.
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It’s not the first time PETA has revealed animal abuse in the wool industry. PETA Director Elisa Allen told Glasgow Live, “PETA has shown time and time again that gentle sheep are routinely beaten, mutilated and violently killed in the global wool industry.”
Allen added that she hopes the new bus advertisements will encourage consumers to seek the truth about wool clothing. “These ads will encourage caring people to reject cruelty to animals by leaving wool garments on the rail and opting for humane vegan clothing that no animal had to suffer and die for,” she continued.
The organization also recently sent a letter to the Scottish Environment Minister Mairi Gougeon asking that CCTV was made mandatory in woolsheds, in a bid to discourage workers from harming sheep.
According to Jason Baker, PETA’s senior vice president, the wool industry has claimed that these incidents are not standard practice.
“The wool industry is trying to dismiss accusations of cruelty after workers were caught violently abusing sheep, but don’t be fooled by its crocodile tears,” he said in a statement.
“This is the second wool investigation we’ve conducted in the UK this year, and what we’ve found is standard practice,” he added. “The industry simply can’t justify or even explain away the documented abuse.”
