Lameness in sheep is one of the most prevalent welfare problems in the UK flock - footrot and other foot conditions cause significant pain but effective management can substantially reduce prevalence.
Sheep lameness welfare is characterised by the gap between available management tools and actual farm practice. Evidence-based treatment protocols, vaccination and selective breeding can reduce lameness prevalence significantly, yet many flocks maintain chronically high rates. Barriers include the time cost of handling individual sheep, economic constraints on veterinary treatment and cultural acceptance of lameness as inevitable. Farm assurance schemes requiring lameness prevalence monitoring have driven improvement in enrolled flocks. Stockperson attitudes toward sheep pain recognition are a key target for welfare training interventions.