Sheep Lameness Prevention and Hoof Health

Lameness is the most significant welfare problem in UK sheep flocks, causing chronic pain to millions of animals. Prevention through footbathing, trimming, and genetic selection is highly effective.

Key Facts

Approximately 10% of UK sheep are lame at any one time, representing around 3 million animals in chronic pain
Footrot caused by Dichelobacter nodosus bacteria is the most common cause and is entirely preventable through vaccination
Lame sheep lose condition rapidly, with production losses compounding welfare costs significantly
Foot trimming, once considered essential, is now known to worsen some conditions when applied incorrectly
The AHDB 5-point plan for lameness reduction has achieved 50% reductions in participating flocks
Genetic resistance to footrot varies between breeds and within breeds, enabling selection for lower lameness susceptibility

Welfare Considerations

Sheep lameness is an extraordinary welfare problem in scale and preventability. Millions of sheep experience chronic pain from footrot and related conditions despite the existence of effective vaccines, management protocols, and genetic selection tools. The persistence of high lameness levels reflects a combination of knowledge gaps, management barriers, and insufficient prioritisation of sheep welfare. The sector has the tools to dramatically reduce this suffering; what is needed is the will to use them consistently.

What You Can Do

Support farms with documented lameness reduction programmes and low lameness targets
Advocate for lameness recording to be mandatory in farm assurance schemes
Encourage farmers to vaccinate against footrot as a welfare and economic investment
Support research into genetic resistance to footrot for breeding programme integration
Buy lamb from farms with documented health and welfare records