Intensive sheep and goat dairy production expands globally with rising demand for specialty dairy products, but welfare standards in this sector trail behind bovine dairy.
Sheep and goat dairy welfare is a growing concern as the artisan cheese and specialty dairy markets expand globally. These species have received less welfare science attention than cattle, leaving producers and regulators with limited evidence-based guidance. However, the fundamental welfare issues parallel those in cattle dairy: mother-offspring separation causing distress, disbudding without analgesia, and stocking densities that limit behavioral expression. Species-specific differences — goats are more curious and escape-prone; sheep are more flight-responsive — require appropriately adapted management. Consumer demand for high-welfare specialty dairy creates commercial incentives for welfare improvement that are beginning to be acted on.