Blowfly strike is a major cause of welfare suffering in sheep globally, with prevention requiring a combination of management practices, genetic selection, and targeted treatment.
Blowfly strike causes some of the most intense acute suffering experienced by farmed animals. The sensation of larvae consuming living tissue while the animal is conscious is unambiguously severe. Despite this, many flocks are inadequately monitored during peak risk periods, and individual sheep suffer for days before being found. Prevention is highly effective and economically rational, yet uptake of all available methods is incomplete. Early detection through regular checking during summer months is the most critical welfare intervention - an affected sheep found within hours can be treated successfully; one found days later faces severe suffering and often death.