Lameness is the second most significant welfare problem in sheep after endemic diseases, with footrot and foot scald causing painful lesions that impair mobility, grazing, and social behaviour in millions of animals globally.
Lame sheep experience chronic pain that profoundly affects their ability to graze, maintain body condition, and compete in social hierarchies. Reduced mobility causes nutritional deprivation as lame animals cannot access the full grazing area or compete at feed stations. The welfare impact is compounded by the stoic nature of sheep, who suppress obvious pain expressions and may receive inadequate attention until disease is advanced. Prompt identification and treatment within days of first limping significantly improves outcomes and reduces the duration of suffering. Producer education on recognition, triage, and systematic control programs can dramatically reduce lameness prevalence within a single season. The Five Point Plan provides a practical framework with strong evidence for effectiveness.