Ultrasound pregnancy scanning of ewes has transformed sheep farming by enabling targeted nutrition and dramatically reducing lamb and ewe mortality.
Pregnancy scanning delivers clear welfare gains for both ewes and lambs. Underfed twin-bearing ewes suffer pregnancy toxaemia, a painful metabolic condition, while their lambs are born weak and prone to hypothermia and starvation. By enabling precise nutritional management, scanning prevents significant suffering. The scanning process itself carries minimal welfare cost when ewes are handled calmly. This is one of the more straightforward win-win interventions in sheep farming welfare.