Blowfly strike (flystrike) is one of the most painful conditions in sheep, causing larvae to consume living tissue, and prevention through targeted treatment and management is a primary welfare obligation.
Flystrike causes extreme welfare suffering: maggots eat living flesh from the inside, causing intense pain, tissue destruction, toxaemia, and death within days. Sheep with established strike show obvious distress — teeth grinding, separation from the flock, and self-directed biting — but the condition often develops in hidden areas (breech, shoulders, feet) that are not immediately visible. Daily observation during the risk season is essential for early detection. Treatment involves clipping away the affected fleece, removing all maggots (often hundreds), cleaning the wound, and applying wound care with appropriate antiparasitic. Prevention through targeted application of licensed preventive products to at-risk sheep is strongly preferable to treating established strike.