Sheep and Wool
Sheep are raised for meat, wool and milk. There are over 30 million farmed sheep in the UK, and about 1 billion worldwide. Fewer people are working as shepherds, which means that grazing flocks are not looked after so well. Sheep farmers are struggling to make money, which often puts more pressure on sheep, and grazing lands. Sheep are frequently injured and traumatized during shearing.
Vegans avoid wool and lanolin, to avoid causing suffering to sheep. Vegans support the right of sheep not to be farmed. Large flocks of farmed sheep also stop woodland from regenerating naturally. There are plenty of natural and synthetic alternatives to wool and lanolin. For more information, see our leaflet ''Don't pull the wool over your eyes", our booklet "Vegan for the Animals - how your diet can save animals from suffering" and our information sheet, "The Wool Report".