Here’s the big news I was hinting at in the last post: H&M, which recently pledged to stop buying wool from Australian sources that still use the mulesing mutilation (essentially, slicing up sheep’s backsides), has set off a chain reaction throughout Europe: Following H&M’s announcement, 17 other major Swedish retailers have made the same pledge, and a coalition of 31 European retailers have announced that they are considering or have decided to stop using wool from mulesed lambs. On top of all this, 10 Danish retailers have withdrawn their support of mulesing, and the Western Australia Department of Agriculture has announced that it will stop mulesing.

What does this all add up to? The total amount of cancelled orders of Aussie wool from Europe as a result of these decisions comes to 550,000 bales of wool. This is a big wakeup call to Aussie wool farmers who continue to mutilate lambs, and a strong message to wool industry executives that their continued refusal to adopt humane practices will directly affect their bottom line.

For more information on the fallout from this recent outcry against the Australian wool industry, here’s the letter that PETA President Ingrid Newkirk sent to Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd last week:

This one made me laugh out loud.

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Check out this photo from yesterday's demonstration outside the New Zealand Consulate-General's office in Sydney, Australia. The demo was humming along nicely when lo and behold, former New South Wales Premier Bob Carr (Note to Americans: New South Wales is a state in Australia and a "Premier" is, like, a governor) walked up. You can tell from the photo that the girls were enjoying themselves and the coy smile on Mr. Carr's face tells me that he quite enjoyed the surprise of seeing the demonstrators, who were wearing only giant cardboard hearts, to thank New Zealand farmers for ending the practice of mulesing. For those not familiar with it, mulesing is the hideous procedure where farmers force live sheep onto their backs, restrain their legs between metal bars, and, without any painkillers whatsoever, slice chunks of flesh from around their tail area.

Anyway, for New Zealand farmers to stop mulesing altogether is a huge step forward and is a clear signal to neighboring Australian farmers that it’s time for them to do the same thing or get left in the dust . . .

With The Pretenders set to play Sydney, Chrissie Hynde made a quick stop to unveil a new PETA ad designed to draw attention to a gruesome procedure that Australian lambs are subjected to. The launch comes just a month after Pink narrated our video exposé of the wool industry. This ad isn't exactly PETA's most lighthearted work, but the procedure, which involves an Australian farmer, a frightened lamb, and a pair of gardening shears, doesn't really allow for a whole lot of levity. Chrissie, whose tireless dedication to helping animals is nothing short of heroic, unveiled the ad at the Sydney Opera House today. Incidentally, this is why I don't wear wool.