Footrot and foot scald are among the most prevalent and painful conditions affecting sheep, with lameness causing significant welfare harm and representing one of the most important targets for flock management improvement.
Sheep lameness from footrot causes chronic pain that is frequently undertreated due to the practical difficulties of individually handling large flocks and the tendency to accept a degree of lameness as normal in sheep farming. The welfare burden is substantial: a lame sheep in a flock of hundreds may not receive individual attention for days or weeks while experiencing significant pain measurable through grimace scale assessment and behavioural change. The Five Point Lameness Plan evidence base demonstrates that farmer-level action — prompt treatment, appropriate footbathing, vaccination, and culling decisions — can reduce flock lameness prevalence substantially. The welfare case for lameness management is also an economic one, as lame ewes have reduced reproductive performance and lamb growth, making good welfare and good business interests aligned.