Sheep and Goat Welfare in Dairy Production

Small ruminant dairy production shares many welfare challenges with cattle dairying including maternal separation, disbudding, and reproductive management that require welfare attention.

Key Facts

Global dairy sheep population is approximately 110 million animals, concentrated in Mediterranean regions
Dairy goats are kept in over 60 countries, providing milk critical to livelihoods in developing regions
Kid and lamb separation from mothers occurs within days of birth on most dairy farms
Mastitis and foot problems are leading welfare challenges in intensive dairy small ruminant systems
Welfare standards for small ruminants lag significantly behind cattle in most national regulatory frameworks

Welfare Considerations

Dairy sheep and goat welfare mirrors dairy cattle welfare in its fundamental challenges while being significantly less studied and regulated. Early maternal separation causes acute distress in both ewe or doe and offspring. Disbudding without analgesia is widespread. High production dairy lines experience metabolic stress similar to high-production dairy cattle. The relative invisibility of small ruminant welfare in policy and public discourse means these significant welfare problems receive far less attention and investment than equivalent challenges in cattle systems. Extending the welfare standards applied to cattle to all dairy ruminants is an achievable and necessary reform.

What You Can Do

Choose dairy sheep and goat products from farms with documented welfare standards where available
Advocate for small ruminant welfare to be included in national farm welfare certification frameworks
Support research into welfare challenges specific to dairy sheep and goat production
Learn about small ruminant welfare as an under-recognized dimension of the dairy welfare picture