Allbirds, Smartwool Implicated in PETA Investigation Revealing Sheep Beaten, Whipped, and Killed

Allbirds, Smartwool Implicated in PETA Investigation Revealing Sheep Beaten, Whipped, and Killed

Wellington — A damning new PETA Asia-Pacific investigation into farms and shearing sheds that supply ZQ-certified wool—which is sold by Allbirds, Smartwool, Fjällräven, Loro Piana, Helly Hansen, among others and claims to be “the world’s leading ethical wool brand”—reveals workers beating and kicking terrified sheep, stomping and standing on their necks, and violently throwing the animals down chutes, among other cruel acts.

Undercover video footage captured in New Zealand—the third-largest wool-producing nation in the world—shows workers whipping, tackling, and hitting sheep with various objects, including the metal tip of a ski pole. One shearer repeatedly slammed a sheep’s head against a hard wooden board while hurling expletive-laden threats at her. Several sheep were left with gaping wounds that were then crudely stitched up without any painkillers. One worker was documented laughing at a sheep as blood ran down the animal’s face from an eye injury. As they were about to be sheared, sheep were forced into severely crowded enclosures, packed so densely on top of one another that one was found smothered to death. Workers later hauled her corpse out of the enclosure and sheared the wool from her dead body.

This clearly injured sheep collapsed several times over two days. Credit: PETA Asia-Pacific

On another farm, a PETA Asia-Pacific undercover investigator witnessed an ailing sheep collapse multiple times over two days. A worker later slit the sheep’s throat—while she was conscious and struggling—and dumped her body in a pit full of garbage. The decomposing remains of several more sheep were found scattered around many ZQ-certified properties—and one of the farmers noted that he could be “reported for having dead animals around the place.”

“Every garment made with ‘ZQ-certified’ wool is tied to the suffering of sheep who likely endured violent beatings, painful injuries from rough shearing and were ultimately slaughtered or discarded like trash,” says PETA Senior Vice President Jason Baker. “PETA is calling on Allbirds, Smartwool, and other brands to reject this sham label and the cruelty it conceals and reminds consumers that the only humane option is to choose vegan materials.”

PETA Asia-Pacific has turned over the evidence to New Zealand officials and is urging them to investigate and file appropriate cruelty charges for apparent violations of the law, which include abusing and wounding sheep and causing them unreasonable pain.

PETA entities have now released 15 exposés of over 150 wool industry operations in seven countries on four continents—revealing that even on “sustainable” and “responsible” farms, extreme cruelty and violence are rampant.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETAAsia.com or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

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