Dairy sheep farming for milk, cheese and yoghurt is practised across Europe, but receives far less welfare research and regulatory attention than dairy cattle or goats.
Dairy sheep welfare suffers from a regulatory and research gap. Much welfare policy relevant to sheep was developed for meat systems and does not address dairy-specific pressures. Consumer demand for sheep dairy has grown with interest in artisan cheese, but welfare labelling is rare and few consumers can make informed choices. Regulatory catch-up and consumer education are both needed.