Blowfly strike (flystrike) is one of the most painful and welfare-significant conditions in sheep farming globally, requiring proactive prevention and rapid treatment to reduce suffering across affected flocks.
Flystrike causes extreme suffering. Maggots secrete enzymes that liquefy tissue, and affected areas expand rapidly from small patches to large wounds covering significant body surface. The pain is acute and continuous; affected sheep become increasingly depressed and may separate from the flock. Toxins from the maggot infestation cause systemic illness compounding the local wound pain. Without rapid detection — which requires daily inspection during high-risk periods — sheep can deteriorate from early strike to life-threatening disease within 48-72 hours. The requirement for intensive monitoring during summer and the speed of disease progression mean that management gaps have serious welfare consequences. Treatment involves maggot removal, wound cleaning, and increasingly, analgesia for pain management.