The mohair industry’s responsibility claims come under scrutiny as new footage raises questions about certification standards and on-farm practices.
The mohair industry’s claims of responsibility and traceability are facing renewed scrutiny following the release of undercover footage from PETA Asia documenting conditions inside certified shearing facilities in South Africa and Lesotho. The investigation focuses on farms operating under the Responsible Mohair Standard, a certification widely cited by fashion brands as evidence of improved animal welfare practices.
According to the footage, workers at multiple facilities were filmed striking goats with brooms and poles, dragging them by horns and legs, and pinning them to the ground during shearing. Investigators attribute some of the handling to a payment structure in which shearers are compensated by volume rather than time, a system that appears to incentivize speed over care. Several goats were recorded with visible wounds, while others were lifted or pulled by ears, tails, legs, and fleece, causing them to fall or struggle.
One segment shows one goat suffering from “a large, gaping wound after reportedly being attacked by a jackal — yet was shorn anyway.” The footage continues, “The goat screamed in agony while a worker carelessly cut around the animal’s torn flesh.”
The investigation also documents goats being struck in the face and back to force movement, as well as animals hauled by their tails, a practice that investigators note could risk spinal injury. At one certified site, goats appeared emaciated; at another, the bodies of several dead goats, including a baby goat, were found discarded together.
South Africa supplies the majority of the world’s mohair, and the new footage marks the second investigation by PETA Asia into the country’s mohair sector. An earlier inquiry recorded shearers cutting broad swaths of skin from goats and crudely stitching wounds on shearing floors without pain relief or veterinary care. Both investigations occurred at facilities operating within established certification frameworks.
The findings place renewed attention on how certification standards are enforced and audited. The Responsible Mohair Standard is designed to assure brands and consumers that animal welfare benchmarks are met throughout production. The footage, however, raises questions about whether those benchmarks consistently translate into on-site practices.
The investigation also names Paul Smith as a brand sourcing mohair. According to the documentation, investigators shared the footage with company representatives, but “chose to ignore this violence.”
“Anyone trying on a Paul Smith mohair suit should know that violence is stitched into the fabric,” the group notes on its website. “This second investigation makes it clear that the mohair industry is rampant with pervasive cruelty and systemic abuse, regardless of whether the facility is certified by the Responsible Mohair Standard.”
Several retailers have already removed mohair from their product lines, including J. Crew, Helmut Lang, Brooks Brothers, Gap, Banana Republic, Barbour, Uniqlo, and Zara, as brands continue to reassess fiber sourcing amid heightened supply-chain scrutiny.
In an email from the Textile Exchange, a spokesperson said the animal treatment shown in this campaign, “falls far short of the standards the Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS) requires and expects all certified farms to uphold.”
According to the Textile Exchange, the RMS criteria are designed in line with the Five Domains model of animal welfare, making humane handling of animals a fundamental requirement, and any mistreatment of animals is “unacceptable.”
The spokesperson says these standards set out the criteria that must be met, and also establish an accountability framework. “This ensures that when concerns are raised and evidence is presented, there is a clear, independent process for investigation, verification, and action,” they said.
“We take all allegations of farms or farm groups not meeting our standards extremely seriously, and we invite PETA to engage with us directly and to share their verified evidence and further details of the farms they have investigated,” the group added. “If the farms shown are confirmed to be RMS-certified, this information would be reviewed by the relevant third-party certification body, which would assess the farm’s practices and make an evidence-based decision on whether certification should be maintained, suspended, or withdrawn.”
Angora precedent highlights brand sensitivity to fiber claims
The mohair findings follow a similar episode involving angora wool last November, when Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop removed angora products from its website after the release of PETA Asia footage from Chinese angora farms.
That investigation documented rabbits being tightly restrained, shaved or plucked repeatedly, and, in some cases, shorn after death.
More than 33,000 PETA members and supporters called on the A-lister to remove angora from the Goop website.
PETA reports that more than 425 retailers worldwide are now angora-free, positioning the shift as an example of how fiber claims can rapidly unravel once supply-chain conditions are examined. The organization has framed the mohair investigation as part of the same pattern, particularly where certification labels are used as consumer reassurance.
January 22, 2026: This article was edited to include a statement from The Textile Exchange.
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