Major fashion houses have pledged to stop using alpaca wool from the world’s largest privately owned alpaca farm in Peru after an investigation revealed animal abuse.

PETA’s recent undercover exposé revealing the horrific abuse alpacas suffer has many fashion brands vowing to eliminate alpaca wool from their supply chain.

The footage captured at the ‘Mallkini Alpaca Sanctuary’ is the world’s largest privately owned alpaca farm and is owned by Mitchell Group, the world’s largest exporter of alpaca clothing and yarn.

While Marks & Spencer and Esprit pledged to phase out alpaca wool completely; Gap Inc, which owns the Banana Republic and Athleta among others and H&M, which owns eight brands have cut ties with the parent company.

Animal torture

Peta investigators revealed that workers manhandled the gentle animals by tying them down, dragging them by their tails and hair and slamming them to the floor. Some of the abused animals, the investigators observed were pregnant.

The workers were seen holding the crying, frightened alpacas by the ears while shearing them with electric clippers, causing some to vomit out of fear. Many had deep wounds after the rough shearing, which the workers callously sew up without any anesthetics.

PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said in a statement: “PETA’s investigation pulled back the curtain on violent shearing that leaves alpacas bleeding and crying out.

“We urge all retailers to protect these vulnerable animals by banning alpaca wool and are calling on consumers to leave these cruelly produced items on the rack.”

According to PETA, alpaca wool production not only causes grave suffering to the animals, it is also terrible for the planet.

The Higg Materials Sustainability Index ranks alpaca wool as the second most environmentally damaging material after silk, noting that it’s six times as harmful as polyester and more than four times as damaging as modal, viscose, rayon, lyocell, acrylic, and other vegan materials.

Response

Following the investigation, the Michell Group said in a statement, the exposé shows “unacceptable mistreatment practices carried out by negligent shearers, which go against the established procedures for shearing in our farm.

“These are strictly governed by the National Technical Standard, whose promulgation we have promoted, and which also has the approval by F.A.O. (Food and Agriculture Organization). Therefore, this footage clearly constitutes an isolated case.”

Refuting the claims of animal abuse, the group said that it had started “an exhaustive investigation in order to establish responsibilities and apply all the corresponding sanctions.”

“We want to reiterate our commitment to continue striving to improve our animal welfare, to work for a healthier environment, to provide the best products and services to all of you, to take care of our collaborators, and to contribute to our community, always in an honest and transparent manner,” the group stressed.

• Read: Farmer jailed after investigators find starving animals among corpses strewn across field

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