News Article

AlpacaGram 7.70 | Important Update on the PETA Response

Posted: Tue, October 20, 2020

AlpacaGram 7.70

October 20, 2020

Important Update on the PETA Response

PETA has reared its ugly head again, circulating a video to multiple fashion brands showing an “inhumane shearing” in Peru. This is the same video released in June 2020 and to which AOA responded with an official statement.

As fashion brands such as Uniqulo, E’spirit, H&M, Valentino, and most recently Columbia Sportswear, to name a few, claim to give up using alpaca fiber in their designs, we are responding again in a more assertive way. We are respectfully asking you, our members to:

not repost the PETA video on your websites and social media pages. We know it is your personal pages and you may post what you like, but posting this messaging is harmful to the alpaca industry as a whole and ultimately, to you as an alpaca owner wanting to promote the value of alpacas and the usage of their fiber.
write and submit a letter to each of the fashion brands that have vowed to no longer use alpaca. We are working on a webpage that will host a sample letter you are welcome to use and the links to all brands we would like to target. This may be the most effective recourse we have.
use the official AOA Statement on your websites, social media pages, in your letters, or anywhere it can be useful to you.

We would also like you to know that while we cannot speak on behalf of alpaca shearing in Peru, the operation in question has responded by replacing the shearer who was the subject of the PETA video and they are instituting stricter safety protocols.

Our goal is not to incite PETA; rather to respond in a way that educates brands on the true nature and importance of shearing, as well as, promote our environmentally friendly alpacas.