The sale of leather makes a sizeable contribution to the viability of the meat industry. Global trade in bovine hides and skins decreased in 1998. The clothing section of this new edition of the Animal Free Shopper contains a number of new vegan footwear suppliers. The majority of animals are shorn for the first time at 14-15 months and thereafter annually. Australia is the world's largest wool-producing country with 123.2 million sheep.
Lambs are susceptible to shock, blood poisoning, tetanus, dislocated joints and arthritis.
Lanolin consists of a highly complex mixture of esters, alcohols, and fatty acids and is used in adhesive tape, printing inks, motor oils, and auto lubrication. It can also be refined for use in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. The female annually lays 300-400 eggs on mulberry trees, secreting a sticky substance to fasten them to the surface. The pupa stage should be followed by the production of an alkali substance which would eat through the threads, allowing the subsequent emergence of a moth. The stifled pupae are typically composted to feed the mulberry trees.