Pop star Pink sees red over sheep "cruelty"

0 Comments | AFP, December, 2006

SYDNEY (AFP) — US pop star Pink has joined a campaign to boycott Australian wool over allegations farmers Down Under are cruel to sheep. In a gory video on the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) website that features sheep having their throats sliced, the singer describes Australian sheep farmers as "sadistic".

She also criticises the practice of "mulesing", cutting off slices of flesh from lambs' rear ends to prevent flystrike -- the infestation of flesh-eating maggots. And she rails against live sheep exports from Australia to the Middle East in overcrowded ships. "I am calling on consumers to check labels on sweaters before buying them, and if they're merino wool or made in Australia, to leave them on the racks," she said. PETA argues that humane...