Mulesing: the law by country
Where it is banned, allowed only under conditions or permitted. Each rule names its law and links to the source.
- Forbudt: 3 places
- Begrænset: 5 places
Australien
Whole country
Ikke lov i sig selv; hver stat bestemmer. Pr. april 2026: obligatorisk i QLD, SA, TAS; kun bevis i NSW og ACT; ikke vedtaget i NT; VIC og WA planlægger det. Standarder: ikke under 24 timer eller over 12 måneder gammel; smertelindring ved 6 til 12 måneder; kyndig udfører; ingen syge eller svage får; kun ulddækket hud. Et lovforslag i NSW fra maj 2026 vil kræve smertelindring; vi kunne ikke bekræfte, at det blev vedtaget. Ikke-kirurgiske metoder er udelukket.
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Not law by itself; each state decides. As of April 2026: mandatory in QLD, SA, TAS; evidence only in NSW and ACT; not adopted in NT; VIC and WA plan to. Standards: not under 24 hours or over 12 months old; pain relief at 6 to 12 months; skilled operator; no sick or weak sheep; only wool-bearing skin. A NSW Bill of May 2026 would require pain relief; we could not confirm it passed. Non-surgical methods are excluded.
Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Sheep (endorsed January 2016), S7.1 to S7.5Checked 4. nov. 2026
Queensland
Obligatorisk kodeks ifølge den nationale standardiseringsorganisation. Vi har læst den nationale tekst, ikke forskriften: ikke under 24 timer eller over 12 måneder gammel; smertelindring ved 6 til 12 måneder; kyndig udfører; kun ulddækket hud.
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Mandatory code per the national standards body. We read the national text, not the regulation: not under 24 hours or over 12 months old; pain relief at 6 to 12 months; skilled operator; only wool-bearing skin.
Animal Care and Protection Regulation 2012 (Qld), national Sheep Standards as a code of practiceIn force since 1. jul. 2021Checked 4. nov. 2026
South Australia
Ikke under 24 timer eller over 12 måneder gammel; kun ulddækket hud; god huldtilstand; over 6 måneder kræves et smertestillende middel eller bedøvelse. Animal Welfare Act 2025 (SA), som ikke var i kraft den 2026-11-04, ophæver disse forskrifter, når den træder i kraft.
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Not under 24 hours or over 12 months old; only wool-bearing skin; good body condition; over 6 months old needs an analgesic or anaesthetic. The Animal Welfare Act 2025 (SA), not in operation on 2026-11-04, will repeal these regulations when it starts.
Animal Welfare Regulations 2012 (SA), r 79In force since 15. apr. 2017Checked 4. nov. 2026
Tasmania
Kun mellem 14 dage og 6 måneder gammel; smertelindring til hvert får; kun ulddækket hud; kyndig eller overvåget udfører; ingen får med svækkende sygdom, svaghed eller dårlig trivsel. Strengere end den nationale standard.
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Only between 14 days and 6 months old; pain relief for every sheep; only wool-bearing skin; skilled or supervised operator; no sheep showing debilitating disease, weakness or ill-thrift. Stricter than the national standard.
Animal Welfare (Sheep) Regulations 2023 (Tas), r 19In force since 12. jul. 2023Checked 4. nov. 2026
Victoria
Fåret skal gives et smertelindrende middel, der er registreret til får af Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority.
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The sheep must be given a pain-relief product registered for sheep by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority.
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Regulations 2019 (Vic), r 8In force since 1. jul. 2020Checked 4. nov. 2026
Canada
Whole country
National Farm Animal Care Council Code of Practice: en brancherettet kodeks, ikke en lov. NFACC siger, at kodeksens krav i de fleste provinser ikke udtrykkeligt er bindende, men kan være bevis for lidelse. Omtalt i provinsernes lovgivning: vedtaget i NL (NLR 36/12; NLR 35/12 s.15 gør en praksis, som en kodeks forbyder, til en forbudt praksis), foreskrevet i SK (Reg 1 s.3-4), nævnt som forsvar i NB (Reg 2000-4 s.4(2), Sch A) og BC (B.C. Reg. 34/2019, som almindeligt accepteret praksis), accepteret i NS (Act s.28(b)). Må ikke udføres; kodeksen siger, at det aldrig har været brugt i canadisk fåreavl.
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National Farm Animal Care Council Code of Practice: an industry code, not a statute. NFACC says Code requirements are not explicitly binding in most provinces but can be evidence of distress. Referred to in provincial law: adopted in NL (NLR 36/12; NLR 35/12 s.15 makes a practice a code prohibits a prohibited one), prescribed in SK (Reg 1 s.3-4), named as a defence in NB (Reg 2000-4 s.4(2), Sch A) and BC (B.C. Reg. 34/2019, as generally accepted practice), accepted in NS (Act s.28(b)). Must not be performed; the Code says it has never been used in Canadian sheep production.
NFACC Code of Practice: Sheep (2013), s.5.8 (industry code, not a statute)Checked 4. nov. 2026
Newfoundland and Labrador
En praksis, der er forbudt i en vedtaget kodeks, er en forbudt praksis for enhver, der skal overholde den kodeks. Sheep Code siger, at mulesing ikke må udføres.
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A practice prohibited in an adopted code is a prohibited practice for anyone required to comply with that code. The Sheep Code says mulesing must not be performed.
Animal Protection Regulations, NLR 35/12, s.15; NLR 36/12 (adopts NFACC Sheep Code, s.5.8)Checked 4. nov. 2026
New Zealand
Whole country
Ingen må med nogen metode fjerne bagpartiet, halens hudfolder eller halens hudrynker på et får. Bøde op til NZ$5,000 (juridisk person NZ$25,000).
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Nobody may, by any method, remove the breech, tail skin folds or tail skin wrinkles of a sheep. Fine up to NZ$5,000 (body corporate NZ$25,000).
Animal Welfare (Care and Procedures) Regulations 2018, r 59In force since 1. okt. 2018Checked 4. nov. 2026
What each status means
- Forbudt
- Prohibited outright.
- Begrænset
- Allowed with conditions other than a vet: an age limit, a method, a licence.
The law on other procedures
- Kupering af ører
- Halekupering
- Halekupering (landbrugsdyr)
- Fjernelse af ulvekløer
- Fjernelse af hornanlæg
- Afhorning
- Kloamputation (onykektomi)
- Devokalisering (fjernelse af stemmebånd)
- Næbtrimning
- Vingeamputation
- Tandklipning
- Fjernelse af kam og hagelapper
- Fjernelse af sporer
- Isætning af næsering
- Brændemærkning
- Frysemærkning
- Indsnit i halen (rejsning)