Lameness is the most significant welfare problem in UK sheep farming, affecting up to 10% of ewes at any time and requiring better prevention and treatment protocols to reduce suffering.
Sheep lameness represents one of the most significant and most preventable welfare problems in livestock farming. The welfare impact is severe - sheep in pain from footrot or CODD are unable to walk comfortably to food and water, lose body condition, and experience chronic pain that would be unacceptable in any animal recognized as capable of suffering. Yet treatment is frequently delayed because lame sheep are difficult to identify in large flocks, catching sheep for treatment is labor-intensive, and some producers underestimate the pain involved. The AHDB five-day treatment protocol has provided a simple, practical framework that has improved welfare outcomes in documented studies. Cultural change in how seriously producers take sheep lameness pain is as important as technical solutions.