Australia’s Merino sheep are famous for their fine wool, but there’s no way to put a good spin on the infamous way that some of that wool is harvested; many Merino sheep farmers routinely make cuts in their sheeps’ hind quarters without benefit of an anesthetic, as a preventative measure against a sometimes fatal insect infestation called flystrike, according to Reuters.

The practice, known as “mulesing,” is needlessly cruel, and the Australian sheep industry’s vowed to phase it out by the year 2010, but that’s not fast enough for H & M. The Swedish fashion retailer announced today that “H&M does not accept mulesing:”

“The company has decided to direct its buying towards other countries of origin and other suppliers in Australia that can guarantee mulesing-free merino wool.”

H&M spokeswoman Katarina Kempe noted that the company only uses a very small quantity of merino wool in its collections, but “wanted to take a stand to promote animal welfare.”

We take the wool right off the sheeps’ backs; is it asking too much that we do so in a humane way? Each fall I visit the Dutchess County Sheep & Wool Festival and find myself wincing at the sight of the newly shorn sheep shivering. The farmers put cheap acrylic sweaters on them to protect their bare bodies, which just seems like adding insult to injury””their own lovely wool’s been whisked away to be woven into a handsome handknit scarf or sweater by some skilled artisan, and they have to make do with some synthetic, schlocky, sweatshop-produced sweater. Ugh. Nice to see H & M doing its part to redefine the term “moral fiber.”

Find out more about the issues surrounding the wool industry at savethesheep.com.