Farm Animal Welfare

Sheep Footrot Control and Welfare

Footrot is one of the most significant welfare problems in sheep worldwide, causing severe lameness and chronic pain. Effective herd-level control programmes can dramatically reduce prevalence and suffering.

Key Facts

Footrot is caused by the bacterium Dichelobacter nodosus in combination with other organisms
Warm, wet conditions enable rapid spread of footrot through a flock
Lame sheep show significant signs of pain including weight shifting and reluctance to move
Effective treatment requires antibiotic foot bathing, hoof trimming, and culling of persistently affected animals
Five-point footrot control plans have achieved near-elimination in some UK flocks

Welfare Considerations

Footrot causes severe chronic pain that significantly affects sheep welfare, reducing feeding, social participation, and productive performance. Early identification, prompt treatment, and systematic herd-level control programmes can dramatically reduce the welfare burden of this common and painful condition.

What You Can Do

Support sheep farming education on footrot prevention and control
Advocate for lameness scoring to be included in welfare audits on sheep farms
Choose wool and lamb from farms with demonstrated low lameness prevalence