Farm Sheep Blowfly Strike: Preventing Parasitic Suffering

Blowfly strike is an extremely painful parasitic condition in sheep where flies lay eggs in fleece and the hatched maggots feed on living flesh, causing severe welfare harm.

Key Facts

Blowfly strike affects millions of sheep annually in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK
Maggots consume living tissue causing severe pain, toxemia, and death if untreated
Damp weather and soiled fleece dramatically increase strike risk
Mulesing — removing skin folds around the tail — remains controversial as a prevention method
Non-mulesing alternatives include selective breeding, pain-relieved mulesing, and targeted chemical prevention
Early detection and treatment with insecticides is critical to preventing fatal outcomes

Welfare Considerations

Blowfly strike represents one of the most acute welfare emergencies in sheep farming. Maggots penetrating living skin and muscle cause excruciating pain, and affected animals rapidly deteriorate into toxic shock. Animals found days after strike begins may have lost significant tissue and face a painful death even with treatment. The debate around mulesing — a painful procedure performed to prevent an even more painful outcome — illustrates the complex welfare tradeoffs in sheep farming. Non-mulesing prevention through selective breeding for plain-bodied sheep and targeted prevention programs offers a path toward eliminating both strike and mulesing.

What You Can Do

Support farms committed to non-mulesing production systems
Choose wool products from certified mulesing-free producers
Advocate for sheep welfare standards that require regular inspection and prompt treatment
Support research into blowfly strike prevention that does not require painful procedures
Reduce wool consumption or choose plant-based alternatives to lower demand from intensive sheep farming