Lameness is one of the most prevalent welfare problems affecting sheep globally, with footrot and footscald causing significant pain and production losses.
A lame sheep experiences persistent pain with every step across pasture. Because sheep mask illness as a survival strategy, mild lameness often progresses to severe lameness before farmers intervene. The Five Point Plan offers a structured response: when a sheep is observed lame, it should be treated within three days — a target that dramatically reduces suffering duration and flock prevalence compared to traditional batch-treatment approaches. Early treatment with appropriate antibiotics and footbathing, combined with culling persistently affected individuals and vaccination, transforms lameness from an accepted background problem to a manageable and largely preventable condition. Achieving this requires farmer education, recording systems, and willingness to treat individuals promptly rather than waiting for batch handling days.