Sheep welfare science has expanded rapidly, revealing capacities for pain, fear, and positive emotional states. Evidence-based husbandry must now incorporate welfare indicators beyond survival and production.
Sheep have historically been underrepresented in welfare research relative to pigs and poultry, partly due to their stoic presentation of pain and difficulty interpreting their behaviour. Advances in cognitive ethology and pain science have reframed understanding: sheep are sentient animals with complex emotional lives who suffer significantly from poor management. Major welfare priorities include pain relief for husbandry procedures, lameness prevention and treatment, nutrition management to prevent pregnancy toxaemia, and social group stability. Positive welfare is increasingly recognised as a welfare target not just absence of suffering. Environmental enrichment, stable social groups, and attentive stockmanship produce measurable improvements in sheep welfare that can also translate to production benefits.