PROTESTERS are circling Bendigo with mobile billboards this weekend calling attention to what they describe as the violent treatment of sheep bred for wool.
Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals commissioned the campaign to run parallel to the Australian Sheep and Wool show.
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The show is taking place in Bendigo this weekend and is the largest event of its type in the world.
"The show ostensibly 'celebrates' sheep, but consumers have a right to know that the animals aren't celebrated in the wool industry - they're abused," PETA spokesperson Emily Rice said.
"Those who visit Bendigo this weekend should also visit WoolFacts.com, where they'll find footage from inside wool operations in Australia and overseas, all of it revealing egregious cruelty."
Wool industry advocates say Australia has strong animal welfare standards and producers are accountable for poor practices.
"These underpin access to domestic and overseas markets and reinforce Australia's commitment to advancing meaningful and effective animal welfare outcomes," peak body WoolProducers Australia has said on its Trust in Australian Wool campaign website.
Welfare standards cover feed and water; risk management in extreme weather, natural disasters, disease, injury and predation; facilities and equipment; handling, management and husbandry; breeding management; and humane killing, WorkProducers Australia says.
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