Farm Animals

Farmed Sheep Welfare Standards

Sheep farming encompasses diverse welfare challenges from mulesing to lambing management, with significant variation between production systems.

Key Facts

Mulesing — skin removal to prevent flystrike — is performed without analgesia in many countries
Tail docking without pain relief is standard practice in most sheep-producing countries
Outdoor lambing in cold conditions causes hypothermia mortality in lambs
Merino sheep bred for heavy fleece can collapse under the weight without shearing

Welfare Considerations

Sheep welfare has received less attention than cattle and pig welfare despite the scale of sheep production globally. Multiple routine procedures cause significant pain without analgesia, and extreme breeding for wool production creates welfare problems intrinsic to the genetics of affected breeds.

What You Can Do

Support campaigns for analgesic requirements during mulesing and tail docking
Choose wool products from mulesing-free sources
Advocate for breed reform that reduces fleece-related welfare problems in Merino sheep
Support organizations working on sheep welfare standards at production level