Lambing is the most welfare-critical period in sheep production, with significant neonatal mortality rates that are partly preventable through management improvements and closer attention to ewe and lamb welfare.
The welfare profile of lambing is challenging: high mortality rates, neonatal suffering, and the physical demands on ewes during late pregnancy and parturition. Many deaths are preventable with better nutrition management in late pregnancy, closer supervision during lambing, and prompt intervention for dystocia. The economic case for welfare improvement is strong — each lamb saved is revenue — but labour constraints in extensive systems limit intervention capacity. Technology-assisted monitoring (sensors, cameras) is increasingly used to improve detection of ewes in labour.