Dairy sheep produce milk for cheese including feta and manchego but face welfare challenges that receive far less attention than dairy cows.
Dairy sheep in intensive systems face the same welfare challenges as dairy cows: metabolic disease from extreme milk production demands, mastitis from continuous milking, and calf separation causing distress. Sheep in traditional extensive Mediterranean systems have much better welfare: outdoor access, natural feeding, and less extreme production demands. The welfare gap between production systems for dairy sheep mirrors that for dairy cattle.