Shearing is an annual welfare necessity for woolly sheep breeds, but the process itself carries welfare risks including injury, stress, and temperature shock. Evidence-based shearing practices minimize these risks.
Shearing is inherently stressful for sheep - they are prey animals and restraint by an unfamiliar person is a significant fear stimulus. The welfare challenge is not whether to shear (unshorn sheep suffer serious welfare consequences) but how to minimize the stress and injury risk of the shearing process. Skilled shearers who maintain confident, fluid movements and appropriate restraint cause less stress than inexperienced handlers. Low-stress pre-shearing handling that maintains flock cohesion reduces anticipatory stress. Post-shearing shelter, particularly for pregnant ewes, prevents the cold shock that can trigger pregnancy toxemia. Welfare-centered shearing includes attention to the whole process from yarding to wool shed to post-shearing management.