Dairy sheep and goat production is growing in the UK, with welfare standards requiring attention to social housing, milking frequency and nutritional management.
Dairy sheep and goat welfare parallels dairy cow welfare in many respects - the metabolic demands of high milk production, separation of young and management of mastitis are all significant welfare concerns. Both species are highly social and require appropriate group sizes and social stability. Dairy goats in particular are browsers and suffer behaviourally from systems that provide no browse or varied forage. Welfare standards for dairy sheep and goats are less developed than for dairy cattle but are improving as the sector grows. Certification schemes are beginning to incorporate species-specific welfare requirements.