Annual shearing is an essential welfare management procedure for domestic sheep but can itself cause stress, injury, and pain if performed poorly. Evidence-based shearing practice minimizes welfare costs.
Shearing welfare depends almost entirely on human skill and attitude. A competent, welfare-conscious shearer completes the procedure quickly, with minimal restraint stress and few if any nicks or cuts. An inexperienced or rushed shearer may cause multiple cuts, prolonged wrestling, and unnecessary distress. The welfare obligation falls on farm managers and contractors to ensure that only adequately trained individuals shear, that animals are appropriately prepared, and that post-shearing conditions prevent cold stress. Welfare auditing of shearing practices, including inspection of recently shorn flocks for cut injuries, would provide accountability that currently does not exist in most certification schemes.