Sheep Dagging and Breech Management: Welfare Guide

Key Welfare Considerations

• Breech and body strike by blowflies (primarily Lucilia sericata) causes severe welfare suffering in affected sheep.
• Urine and faecal soiling of breech wool creates ideal conditions for blowfly egg-laying and larval development.
• Regular dagging removes contaminated wool, directly reducing strike risk and welfare burden.
• Scouring (diarrhoea) from parasitic gastroenteritis, rich pasture, or dietary change dramatically increases strike risk.
• Breech strikes cause rapidly progressing tissue damage, intense pain, and secondary bacterial infection.
• Strike welfare impacts include restlessness, discomfort behaviour, wound discharge, and systemic toxaemia.
• Insecticides applied to the breech and back provide preventive protection — duration varies by product.
• Products containing diflubenzuron prevent larval development but have environmental considerations.
• Organophosphate pour-ons provide longer protection but have worker safety requirements for welfare management.
• The five-point plan for blowfly strike prevention includes dagging, treating, monitoring, and targeted treatment.
• Breed selection for reduced skin folds and self-shedding breeds reduces breech strike susceptibility.
• Mulesing (skin removal from breech) is performed in Australia to reduce strike risk but raises welfare concerns.
• Pain relief for dagging procedures reduces welfare burden, particularly when skin irritation is present.
• Record-keeping of strike incidents enables flock welfare trend monitoring and prevention improvement.
• Spring and early summer represent peak welfare risk — proactive breech management is essential during this period.