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"Sheep need to be shorn."
wool sheep need shearing because they were bred to produce excess wool; their wild ancestors shed their coats naturally. The need was created by the industry itself. And wool production includes practices such as mulesing, cutting away skin from lambs without anesthesia, still legal in Australia, the largest producer of merino wool, and slaughtering sheep when production drops.
Short answer
Wool sheep need shearing because they were bred to produce excess wool; their ancestors shed naturally. It's the same pattern as dairy cows (C10). Besides, wool production includes practices such as mulesing, cutting skin from lambs' hindquarters, still legal and often done without anesthesia in Australia, and slaughtering sheep when they produce less.
For children
Long ago, sheep shed their coats on their own, like dogs in spring. People chose sheep with more and more wool, until they couldn't shed it anymore. Now they need to be shorn. That isn't a favor: it's a problem people created.
"If sheep were bred not to shed their wool, is shearing a favor or a fix for a problem we created?"
Como pode aparecer
"Without shearing, sheep die of heat."
"Wool is natural and sustainable."
"Shearing doesn't hurt."
"Vegans want sheep to die of heat."
"Shearing is a management practice essential to welfare."
"Cows need to be milked." (which is C10)
The strongest version
"Without shearing, sheep die of heat. Wool is natural and sustainable."
Strongest version (steelman):
- P1Wool sheep don't shed their fleece on their own.
- P2Without shearing, they suffer from heat, dirt and infestations.
- P3Shearing relieves that suffering.
- CSo using wool is making use of necessary care for sheep.
P1, P2 and P3 are true for today's wool sheep. The problem lies in the conclusion: the need was created by breeding for wool, and the industry includes practices that cause suffering.
The argument is valid for existing sheep. Its soundness fails because it leaves out where the need came from and what happens in production.
Full answer
- a
Reconstruction and diagnosis
The argument starts in the middle of the story:
What the argument shows What comes before The sheep needs shearing It was bred not to shed its wool Shearing relieves the heat Excess wool causes the heat The wool is put to use It's sold, and that's the point of raising them - b
Where the argument breaks
1. The need was created.
Primitive and wild sheep shed their coats naturally. Continuously growing wool is the result of human breeding.
2. Mulesing still exists.
Mulesing removes wrinkled skin from lambs' hindquarters to reduce flystrike. In Australia it's still legal, and pain relief is only mandatory in some states. The RSPCA in Australia itself calls for it to end.
3. Commercial shearing can be violent.
Shearing is done at speed, often paid per animal, and investigations have recorded injuries and abuse.
4. The sheep are slaughtered.
When wool production drops, sheep are sold for slaughter. Wool and meat are part of the same system.
5. There are alternatives.
Cotton, linen, hemp, recycled fibers and other materials keep people warm and clothed without involving animals.
- c
Data and sources
Source What it says Note RSPCA Australia, mulesing Mulesing is still legal in Australia; the RSPCA advocates a transition to flystrike-resistant sheep and an end to the practice An animal welfare organization - d
The strongest counter-reply: what about the sheep that already exist?
The most serious version grants that the need was created, but says existing sheep need shearing, and using their wool harms no one.
- e
Why the counter-reply doesn't reach the conclusion
Caring for existing sheep doesn't require buying wool.
Sanctuaries shear sheep and don't sell the wool to fund new breeding.
Buying wool funds new sheep.
Demand sustains breeding, selection and slaughter.
Commercial wool comes from the industry.
Not from rescued sheep.
- f
Back to the moral question
Shearing is necessary because we created sheep who depend on it. The moral question isn't whether we should care for the sheep that exist, but whether we should keep breeding and killing animals to clothe ourselves, when there are alternatives.
Reasoning errors
Logical
Is the form valid?
Omitting the cause
Appeal to nature
Moral
Is the criterion coherent?
Exploitation presented as care
Biases
Extrapolations
The principle being tested is: "if we created a need, meeting it is a favor".
If it applied to…Dairy cowsTap to see
Milking would be a favor
This is the argument of C10
If it applied to…Dog breeds with breathing problemsTap to see
Surgeries would be favors, not consequences of breeding
Many vets criticize this breeding
If it applied to…SheepTap to see
Shearing would be a favor
The need was created
Contradictions
Which shows the goal isn't only the sheep's good.
Which are part of production.
Cotton and synthetics.
What the argument gets right
What is true
It's true that today's wool sheep need shearing, and that not shearing them would cause suffering. Some farmers treat their sheep well, and careful shearing isn't cruel in itself.
But
But the need was created by breeding for profit, and the wool industry includes mulesing and slaughter. Caring for the sheep that exist is different from continuing to breed new ones to clothe ourselves.
Connections
Usually comes before
Usually comes after