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| Clothing
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Alpaca and
Llama : Angora : Broadtail/Karakul : Cashmere
and Mohair : Down
and Feathers : Felt : Fur : Leather : Pearl,
Shells etc : Silk : Wool :
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| Alpaca and Llama |
Both the Alpaca
and Llama are domesticated species of Camelids, their fibres are usually
sold under the term Alpaca. There
are about 9,000 in the UK herd consisting of 2 breeds of Alpaca’s,
Huacaya and Suri. Male llamas are shorn once a year (producing 1.5-2
kg fibre/annum) and females are shorn once every two years. Alpaca’s
fibre is finer than that of llamas and there are 22 naturally occurring
colours, they produce between 2.5-5.5 kg of fibre per year. The fibre
is used for making knitted and woven items such as sweaters, hats and
gloves (1).
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| Angora |
| Angora is a fibre
which is obtained from a specific breed of rabbit. There are only a small
number of angora rabbit wool producers
in the UK as their management is a labour intensive industry. Farmer’s
cage animals individually to avoid damage to their wool and the females
are not deemed very productive, producing only an average of 24 young per
year. The regular wool yield of English Angora is 200-400 grams/year. The
normal practice for harvesting their wool is by shearing, this happens
four times a year and provides a fibre of 5-6 cm. The largest angora fibre
producer is China, (2, 1). This fibre is used for making knitted and woven
items, it may also end up in the production of felt. |
| Broadtail/Karakul |
| This is the skin/pelt of a prematurely born Persian lamb
or karakul. The Humane Society of the United States investigated the production
of these pelts back in 2001. Broadtail fur is produced by killing pregnant
sheep and killing the unborn and newborn karakul lambs (3). Fetal lamb
fur is highly valued by furriers as 10 to 15 days before natural birth
the fur is silky and very smooth (4). It is manufactured into items such
as jackets, coats and trims on garments. An estimated 4 to 5 million karakul
lambs are killed each year for their fur (3). |
| Cashmere & Mohair |
| Both of these fibres are obtained from goats. Most goats
have two coats, a course hairy outer/guard coat and a soft undercoat (cashmere).
The angora goat on the other hand has a single coat (mohair), this is coarser
than cashmere but produced in larger quantities. Cashmere is harvested
by either shearing or combing whereas mohair is harvested by shearing (twice
a year, spring and autumn) (1). There are around 50 cashmere producers
in the UK with a herd of around 2,500 goats. Britain currently processes
60% of the world's mohair, almost all of which is imported. UK mohair production
is currently around 25 tonnes per annum from a flock of between 4,000 -
6,000 animals. Shearing takes place twice a year in spring and autumn.
In commercial flocks breeding stock would normally be culled after 6 years
(1). Goats are particularly susceptible to changes in temperature, therefore,
unless they are housed, they should only be shorn in suitable weather conditions.
Combing is a preferred method in adverse weather conditions (5). Cashmere
and mohair are used for yarn, fabrics and garments. |
| Down & Feathers |
| Down and feathers
are mostly used commercially together in the garment and household linen
industries. Down, which is a more valued
product, is the very soft feathers from the breasts of geese and ducks
(6). Both down and feathers may be obtained through plucking but the majority
(90%) is obtained when the birds are slaughtered (most of these birds are
intensively reared). China produces around 70% of the World’s down
(7). A regular process is to scald the dead bird in hot water for a few
minutes after which the course feathers of the wing and tail are then removed
by hand with the remainder of the feathers and down removed by hand or
use of a machine. Feathers are then dried. The harvesting of feathers from
live geese is seen as an important income from those geese being bred for
meat or fatty liver (foie gras) production. These birds have to endure
plucking at the age of 9-10 weeks of age, and then around every six weeks
until they are finally killed. The yield of feathers and down from each
plucking amounts to between 80 to 120 grams. Eiderdown is the world’s
most expensive down, this is from the eider sea duck found principally
in Iceland. As the wild Eider Duck is a protected bird, to obtain down
from these birds small amounts are removed from their nests while the bird
is moulting (7). Ostriches are farmed for their meat, leather and feathers
(1). In the wild ostriches live as long as humans but tend to be slaughtered
for their meat at around 13 months (8). There are currently about 100 producers
in the UK and up to 25 young birds can be kept in a space 2 hectares in
size (1). They can run up to 40 miles per hour. Ostrich feathers are used
for cleaning fine machinery and equipment alongside decorations or use
in the fashion industry. Each ostrich produces just over 1kg of feathers
each year (8). |
| Felt |
| Felted fabric is produced from matted and compressed fibers
such as wool or sometimes even fur. Beaver fur was a popular choice for
the making of felt hats until around the mid 1800s whereby they
were gradually replaced by the silk hat, followed by fur felt hats and
wool felt hats. Rabbit skin is often the source of fur for felt hats (9).
The use of felt is used in a number of other areas such as arts, crafts
and musical instruments. |
| Fur |
Each
year more than 40 million animals are killed for their fur worldwide
(10). Around
85% of fur comes from farmed animals and the
remaining from wild caught animals. The most commonly bred animals are
mink and fox (arctic and red), along with racoon dogs and rex rabbits.
Farmed animals are kept imprisoned in small cages for their entire lives
and are denied both their natural biological and behavioural needs (4).
Rex rabbits, for example, are one of the main breeds of rabbits reared
and killed for their fur. They have very thin coverings of fur on their
feet so the wire flooring of the mesh cages they spend their lives in can
cause pain, injury and suffering (11). Fur
farming was banned in the UK in 2003 (4, 5)
and from the 31st December 2008 a European Union law will apply introducing
a ban on the trade of cat and dog fur, this includes
production, marketing, import and export within the European Union. 85%
of fur comes from China with 25-30% fur coming from wild caught and 70-75%
from captive animals. China is one of the few countries without any legal
provisions for animal welfare. Canada, USA and Russia are the main nations
which trap wild animals (4). Steel-jawed leg
hold traps are most commonly used to trap the animal (this device is banned
throughout Europe). These
traps cause extreme suffering and some animals go to desperate lengths
to escape often gnawing off part of their own leg or paw. As the traps
do not discriminate, other animals may also be destroyed or maimed, including
some domestic animals (4). The biggest slaughter
of marine mammals for their fur happens in parts of Canada, where in
2006 the number killed was
325,000. A fur farmer’s primary concern when killing the animals
is to preserve their fur. Methods of killing animals include gassing,
lethal injection, electrocution. Animals are also clubbed, have their
necks broken,
skulls smashed, throats slit, choked or skinned to death (4).
Links for further
information
• Respect for animals - www.respectforanimals.co.uk
• Fur Free Alliance - www.infurmation.com
• International Anti-fur Coalition - www.antifurcoalition.org
|
| Leather |
| Leather is a material
used for a variety of products, such as shoes, bags, wallets/purses,
furniture, etc. It is created when an animal’s
skin/hide is treated with chemicals to prevent it from rotting/degrading.
Some people believe it is ok to wear leather because they see it as a by-product
of the meat industry whereby the animals weren't killed just for their
skins while others believe that there's a strong chance the animal died
naturally. However, very few farm animals ever reach the natural end of
their lifespan, most are killed when they are little more than adolescents
and around 40 billion farmed animals are reared intensively (12). Remaining
animals go for slaughter because they are worn out by continuous breeding
and/or lactation. About ten percent of the value of the animal at the abattoir
is from its skin, so by buying leather this is helping to support the meat
industry. The UK produces around 2.6 million cattle hides and 16.5 million
sheep skins, and about 100 million square feet of leather. In 2006, the
UK exported £117 million pounds worth of raw hide and skins and £145
million pounds worth of leather, representing two-thirds of total production.
This trade amounts to over £100 million (13). Some people believe
leather is a natural, eco-friendly product but the leather industry is
a major source of pollution. Tanneries are often sited near rivers as the
process needs a plentiful supply of water and the waste - including hair,
salt, lime, sludge, acids and chrome - is discharged into the river. It
takes 8,000 litres of water to produce a pair of leather shoes, this is
the amount of water required to grow feed, support a cow and process its
skin into the finished product (14). Domesticated animals aren't the only
ones to be used for leather production, species includes deer, alligators,
crocodile, toads, ostriches, kangaroos, lizards, snakes and seals. Many
of these are already endangered species but the high prices commanded by
their skins encourages poaching. Wild species killed for leather have no
protection at all, they may be clubbed to death or caught in cruel traps. |
| Pearls, shells, etc |
Pearls are defined
as hard, roundish objects produced within the soft tissue of a living
shelled mollusc, such as an oyster. The majority
of pearls on the market are ‘cultured pearls’, which are formed
on a pearl farm under controlled conditions. Pearl farming (mollusc acquaculture)
occurs throughout Australasia, the Middle East and South America, and is
achieved by inserting a foreign object into the tissue of an oyster or
other mollusc in order to induce the creation of a pearl (15). The pearl
is then harvested by opening the oyster (which kills it) and the shell
and meat either disguarded or used. A vegetarian does not eat any shellfish,
these are typically sea animals covered with a shell. The types of shellfish
include crustaceans (crustacea) and molluscs (mollusca), which can be broken
down further;
Crustaceans (hard external shell)
Large – e.g. lobsters, crayfish, crabs
Small – e.g. prawns, shrimps
Molluscs (most are protected by a shell)
E.g. mussels, oysters, winkles, limpets, clams, etc. This also includes
cephalopods such as cuttlefish, squid, octopus. |
| Silk |
| Silk comes from silkworms, which are not true worms but the
caterpillars of the silk moth, Bombyx mori. Silkworms produce silk by churning
out thread from tiny holes in their jaws, which in turn is used to spin
into their protective egg-bearing cocoons. Complete production takes around
3 days (72 hours), during which time they produce between 500-1200 silken
threads (16). When metamorphosis is complete and the moth is ready to leave
its cocoon, it secretes an alkali which eats its way through the thread.
This spoils the thread for spinning as it is no longer continuous. So,
in order to get good quality silk, the moths must be killed before they
leave the cocoon, this is done by suffocation with steam or heating them
in an oven. Only a small number necessary for breeding the next generation
are allowed to complete their lifecycle. Silk can be divided into 3 categories,
cultivated, wild and blended, depending upon the way the silk yarn is produced. |
| Wool |
| Wool accounts for
5-10% of the total value of a ewe. Most British wool is used for coarse
fabrics such as carpets, with over 65%
of the clip being used in carpet manufacture. Native breeds, such as Scottish
Blackface, Herdwick and Cheviot, grow wool which is naturally designed
to withstand harsh winds, driving rain and snow. The UK produces 1% of
the world’s raw wool, approximately 50,000 tonnes per year (5). The
majority are sheared at around 14 months old and then once a year. Lambs
of some breeds may be clipped to provide lambs wool. The entire fleece
is sheared in one piece. Sheep have been selectively bred to produce a
thick fleece and are sheared early summer to prevent heatstroke. Wild sheep
do not need to be sheared. Around 1/3 of British wool is from slaughtered
sheep, this is referred to as skin wool. Wool accounts for 3% of world
fibre production (17). Australia and New Zealand produce the most raw wool,
whilst Belgium and Denmark export the most ‘greasy’ wool, including
skin wool and re-exports. Mulesing of sheep (this involves slicing away
the folds of skin from beneath the sheep's tail which forms a wool-free
scar) occurs commonly in Australia. They have a national flock of an estimated
135 million sheep and mulesing is done at a recommended age between 2 -12
weeks old. The New South Wales Department of Primary Industries states
in the Standard Operating Procedures that, "While the operation causes
some pain, no pre or post operative pain relief measures are used".
Antiseptics are often applied, but anaesthesia and painkillers are not
required during or after the procedure. The wool industry has proposed
that surgical mulesing will be phased out by 2010 (18). Around 100 million
sheep suffer from mulesing each year. Australia’s export industry
of wool amounts to approximately $3.5 billion each year (19). |
| References & Useful
Links |
1. Scottish
Agricultural College www.sac.ac.uk
2. Ewbank, R., Kim-Madslien, F. and Hart, C.B. (Editors). 1999. 4th Edition.
Management and Welfare of Farm Animals. Universities Federation for Animal
Welfare (UFAW).
3. The Humane Society of the United States www.hsus.org/
4. Respect for Animals www.respectforanimals.co.uk/
5. Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs www.defra.gov.uk/
6. Food and Agriculture Organisation – Feather and Down Production
7. International Down and Feather Laboratory and Institute
8. Food and Agriculture Organisation - Recent developments in ostrich farming
9. The History of Felt Hats and Hat Making – The Hat Site http://www.thehatsite.com/felt.html
10. ‘Fashion – how to set animal welfare at the heart of your
company’s ethical policy – RSPCA http://www.rspcagoodbusinessawards.com/docs/rspca-fashion.pdf
11. Hsieh-Yi, Yi- Chiao, Yu Fu, Mark Rissi and Dr Barbara Maas. 2005. ‘Fun
fur? A report of the Chinese Fur Industry’. Care for the Wild International.
12. Compassion in World Farming www.ciwf.org
13. UK Leather Federation www.ukleather.org
14. Chapagain, A., and Orr, S. 2008. UK Water Footprint; the impact of
the UK’s food and fibre consumption on global water resources. World
Wide Fund for Nature.
15. Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. 2007. Pearl
Oyster Health Management, A Manual.
16. All Silk Products www.allsilkproducts.com
17. British Wool Marketing Board www.britishwool.org.uk
18. Primary Industries Standing Committee. 2006. Model Code of Practise
for the Welfare of Animals. The Sheep. 2nd Edition. PISC Report No. 89.
2006
19. Australian Wool Innovation Ltd. |
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| Further
Information - Any questions regarding this information
sheet please contact Gilly Prime - Information and Research Officer gilly@vegsoc.org |
| |
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