Alpaca and llama keeping has grown significantly in the UK but welfare problems are common due to knowledge gaps, particularly around nutrition, dental care and veterinary access.
Alpaca welfare suffers from the popularity of keeping them outpacing the development of keeper expertise and veterinary knowledge. Many new keepers underestimate nutritional complexity, dental requirements and disease susceptibility. Herd animals cannot be kept singly without serious welfare costs - alpacas and llamas are social species requiring compatible companions. Veterinary care can be challenging to access in areas without large animal practitioners experienced with camelids. Welfare improvement requires the industry and keeping communities to develop robust training standards, improve veterinary access and establish minimum welfare requirements for registered keepers.