The wool industry is the large-scale breeding, confinement, and management of animals for the repeated extraction of fibre grown from their bodies. It operates as a material production system in which animals are selectively bred to produce continuous or excessive fleece growth, requiring regular shearing and ongoing human intervention.

While practices vary by species, geography, and production scale, the underlying structure remains consistent: animals are biologically engineered and controlled to maximise fibre yield, with productivity prioritised over lifespan, bodily integrity, and natural behaviour.

See it by species

This index includes species that are bred, confined, and exploited for fibre production within organised wool and animal-hair industries, regardless of scale, geography, or cultural framing.