You know, rolling hills, perky sheep dogs, cozy barns, that sort of thing. While bucolic, blissful farms like this may still exist somewhere in James Herriot's Yorkshire, that's not where most of the wool we buy comes from. Chances are, no matter where you live, your wool comes from the land down under. With 148 million sheep, Australia produces 80 percent of all wool used worldwide. Flocks usually consist of thousands of sheep, so it's impossible for farmers to treat them with the TLC Farmer Hoggett and his talented pig would provide.
Australian sheep are basically on their own.
Little boy lambs are particularly blue because they are castrated without painkillers. Shearing isn't a walk in the park, either, since it is automated and done at lightning speed to accommodate such huge numbers of animals. Protruding sheep parts accidentally get lopped off. Shades of Lorena Bobbitt, if you catch my drift. The Australians mainly raise Merino sheep because their wrinkly skin produces more wool per animal.