But we should take Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce’s odd, anti-PETA rant with a grain of salt. 

After all, agriculture ministers are rarely in favour of change. 

On the contrary, they often stand in the way of progress by defending archaic practices that are quite simply out of touch with community values.

Instead of shooting the messenger, Minister Joyce could have used this opportunity to voice his opposition to the abuse of sheep that is so pervasive in the wool industry. 

PETA US’s expose of the shearing industry in the United States and Australia revealed that shearers, working against the clock, beat, kick, throw and mutilate terrified sheep.

Because the shearers work so quickly, many sheep are severely cut. When this happens, workers use a needle and thread to try to sew shut the most gaping wounds – without providing any pain relief whatsoever. 

These abuses are not the acts of a few ‘‘bad apples’’. 

Rather, the investigators saw cruelty in every one of the 19 Australian sheds they visited, documenting that 70 workers for nine shearing contractors abused sheep in Victoria, NSW and South Australia.

The solution is not to dodge the issue, as Minister Joyce did at his press conference, but to stop buying wool coats, sweaters and other garments. 

As Jona says, there are plenty of cruelty-free, non-wool options available.

Jason Baker, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Australia

I am a lawyer in London and applaud the Mercury’s  article about  the barbaric treatment of sheep in sections of  the Australian wool industry. 

I also understand the minister responsible for the industry, Barnaby Joyce, has criticised Jona Weinhofen’s excellent advert for PETA highlighting the horrific suffering being inflicted on the sheep.

 I wonder if the minister realises that decent people expect  his criticism to be directed at the animal abusers, not those seeking to expose it. 

I hope his government does not attempt to  gag people who expose animal cruelty, otherwise they will be truly shamed worldwide by the millions of decent people who expect animal abuse to be tackled, not covered up. 

Peter Collins, London

I read with interest Mr Bielefeldt’s letter apparently promoting marijuana, and making it the preferred drug over “ice’’  for Australians to use, and to follow the USA into legalising the smoking of pot in some states.

I worked as a production supervisor for many years at BHP BlueScope, and the use of marijuana became a main worry for me. 

Operators turning up for work, bleary eyed and obviously not their normal self, were operating machinery worth multimillions of dollars and working among workmates who could be injured, or be killed.

The people who are promoting this so-called “soft drug” will regret this one day, as they are already having second thoughts in the US where drivers in traffic, totally stoned out of their minds, have no fear of anything.

 We don’t need this in Australia. We live in a wonderful country where you can be happy  without smoking dope.

John Pronk, Wollongong