While minimum welfare standards for sheep address the worst abuses, genuinely good sheep welfare requires going beyond minimum requirements to meet species needs.
Sheep welfare science has revealed an animal of greater complexity and sensitivity than traditional farming culture often acknowledges. The assumption that sheep are indifferent to their circumstances - that 'sheep don't mind' crowding, painful procedures without analgesia, or isolation from companions - is not supported by research. Sheep show strong stress responses to isolation, recognize and prefer familiar flock members, have excellent face memory, and show physiological and behavioral evidence of pain that requires appropriate management. Going beyond minimum welfare standards for sheep means providing genuinely adequate group sizes for social expression, pain management for all invasive procedures, shelter appropriate to weather conditions, and management that minimizes unnecessary separation of bonded individuals. The capacity to improve sheep welfare beyond current norms is significant.