Sheep Welfare in Extensive Hill Farming: Challenges and Solutions

Hill sheep farming in the UK involves extensive low-supervision management over difficult terrain, creating specific welfare challenges around disease detection, injury treatment, and environmental hazards.

Key Facts

Around 13 million sheep are kept in upland and hill systems in the UK, often at low stocking densities
Flystrike (myiasis) is a major welfare concern, particularly in summer, killing thousands of sheep annually
Lameness affects a significant proportion of hill sheep and is challenging to manage in extensive systems
Poor body condition in late pregnancy predisposes ewes to twin lamb disease and difficult births
The remoteness and large flock sizes of hill farming make regular individual observation challenging

Welfare Considerations

The welfare challenges of extensive hill farming differ from intensive systems but are no less significant. Flystrike can kill within days; affected sheep suffer intensely as blowfly larvae consume living tissue. Lameness in hill sheep often goes undetected and untreated for extended periods due to the difficulty of gathering large flocks over rough terrain. Body condition scoring of ewes before and during pregnancy is a critical welfare intervention that many hill farmers implement but resource constraints can limit. Welfare improvements require solutions adapted to the realities of hill farming.

What You Can Do

Support hill farming welfare improvement programmes that understand extensive system constraints
Advocate for preventive flystrike treatment and monitoring in hill sheep welfare standards
Choose lamb from farms with documented welfare standards appropriate to upland systems
Support organisations providing training and resources to hill farmers on welfare monitoring
Engage with upland farming policy to ensure welfare standards are achievable in hill farming contexts