Lameness is the most common welfare problem in UK sheep, affecting millions of animals with painful foot conditions that are treatable but often inadequately managed.
Lameness in sheep has historically been undertreated because sheep mask pain stoically and individual animals in large flocks are difficult to monitor closely. The economic incentive to treat each animal also differs from dairy cattle, where lame cows directly reduce milk output. Yet pain measurement tools confirm that lame sheep experience genuine and significant suffering. The five-point plan approach — treat promptly, never foot-trim a footrot lesion, use antibiotic where appropriate, cull chronics, vaccinate — has been validated to achieve dramatic reductions in prevalence with minimal additional cost.