Lameness is the most significant welfare problem in sheep farming globally, affecting millions of animals with painful foot conditions that are often undertreated. Prevention and prompt treatment are the primary welfare interventions.
Sheep lameness causes chronic, welfare-significant pain that is often inadequately managed because sheep, as prey animals, suppress obvious pain signals until severely affected. A lame sheep that is noticeably reluctant to move has typically been experiencing pain for days or weeks before reaching the lameness threshold visible to an observer walking through a field. The welfare imperative is regular, careful observation that catches subtle gait changes early and treatment that includes appropriate analgesia alongside antibiotic management where indicated. Cultural resistance to the cost and time required for thorough sheep lameness management is the primary barrier to improvement. Economic analysis consistently shows that the production losses from lameness exceed the cost of effective prevention and treatment programs, providing both welfare and economic justification for improvement.