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
- Begrenset: 5 places
Australia
Whole country
Ikke lov i seg selv; hver delstat bestemmer. Per april 2026: obligatorisk i QLD, SA, TAS; bare bevis i NSW og ACT; ikke vedtatt i NT; VIC og WA planlegger det. Standarder: ikke yngre enn 24 timer eller eldre enn 12 måneder; smertelindring ved 6 til 12 måneder; dyktig utfører; ingen syke eller svake sauer; bare ullbærende hud. Et lovforslag i NSW fra mai 2026 ville kreve smertelindring; vi kunne ikke bekrefte at det ble vedtatt. Ikke-kirurgiske metoder er unntatt.
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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 kode ifølge det nasjonale standardiseringsorganet. Vi har lest den nasjonale teksten, ikke forskriften: ikke yngre enn 24 timer eller eldre enn 12 måneder; smertelindring ved 6 til 12 måneder; dyktig utfører; bare ullbærende 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. juli 2021Checked 4. nov. 2026
South Australia
Ikke yngre enn 24 timer eller eldre enn 12 måneder; bare ullbærende hud; god kroppskondisjon; over 6 måneders alder kreves et analgetikum eller bedøvelse. Animal Welfare Act 2025 (SA), som ikke var i kraft 2026-11-04, vil oppheve disse forskriftene når den trer 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
Bare mellom 14 dager og 6 måneder; smertelindring for hver sau; bare ullbærende hud; dyktig eller overvåket utfører; ingen sauer med svekkende sykdom, svakhet eller dårlig tilvekst. Strengere enn den nasjonale standarden.
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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. juli 2023Checked 4. nov. 2026
Victoria
Sauen må gis et smertelindrende preparat registrert for sau av 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. juli 2020Checked 4. nov. 2026
Canada
Whole country
National Farm Animal Care Council Code of Practice: en bransjekode, ikke en lov. NFACC sier at kodens krav ikke uttrykkelig er bindende i de fleste provinser, men kan være bevis for lidelse. Provinsenes lovgivning viser til den: vedtatt i NL (NLR 36/12; NLR 35/12 s.15 gjør en praksis som koden forbyr til en forbudt praksis), foreskrevet i SK (Reg 1 s.3-4), nevnt som forsvar i NB (Reg 2000-4 s.4(2), Sch A) og BC (B.C. Reg. 34/2019, som allment akseptert praksis), akseptert i NS (Act s.28(b)). Må ikke utføres; koden sier at det aldri har vært brukt i kanadisk sauehold.
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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 som er forbudt i en vedtatt kode, er en forbudt praksis for enhver som må følge den koden. Sheep Code sier at mulesing ikke må utføres.
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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 kan, med noen metode, fjerne bakparten, halehudfoldene eller halehudrynkene på en sau. Bot inntil 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.
- Begrenset
- Allowed with conditions other than a vet: an age limit, a method, a licence.
The law on other procedures
- Kupering av ører
- Halekupering
- Halekupering (husdyr)
- Fjerning av ulveklør
- Fjerning av hornanlegg
- Avhorning
- Kloamputasjon (onykektomi)
- Devokalisering (fjerning av stemmebånd)
- Nebbtrimming
- Vingeamputasjon
- Tannklipping
- Fjerning av kam og hakelapper
- Fjerning av sporer
- Innsetting av nesering
- Brennmerking
- Frysemerking
- Innsnitt i halen (reising)