Lameness affects 10-15% of UK sheep at any time and is the second most important welfare issue in sheep farming; prompt treatment and prevention programs dramatically reduce prevalence.
Sheep lameness is one of the highest-prevalence welfare problems in farming, yet it remains chronically undertreated due to the difficulty of observing individual sheep in large flocks and time constraints on treatment. Lame sheep experience significant ongoing pain with every step, reducing grazing efficiency and welfare simultaneously. The 5-Point Plan including prompt treatment, vaccination, culling of repeat lame individuals, and foot bathing has been shown to reduce flock lameness prevalence from over 10% to under 2% on farms that implement it consistently. The welfare improvement available through this systematic approach is substantial and achievable.