Blowfly strike (myiasis) is one of the most severe acute welfare problems in sheep farming. Fly larvae consume living tissue, causing extreme pain and death within days if untreated. Prevention and early detection are critical.
Flystrike causes some of the most intense acute suffering seen in livestock farming. Larvae consume living tissue from the outside inward; affected sheep experience what is, by any behavioural and physiological measure, extreme pain. The condition is preventable through vigilant management — daily inspection during peak fly season, preventive treatment, and prompt response to early strike. Treatment requires removing all larvae, cleaning the wound, and applying insecticide — a welfare intervention that is painful itself but necessary. Selective breeding programmes developing sheep breeds with bare breeches and wrinkle-free skin are reducing the need for mulesing while also reducing flystrike susceptibility. Farmer training in early recognition is a major welfare gap.