Livestock

Vaccination and Disease Prevention in Sheep Welfare

Vaccination against clostridial disease, pasteurella, and other conditions is a foundational welfare management tool in sheep farming.

Key Facts

Clostridial diseases including pulpy kidney and tetanus cause rapid painful death
Pasteurella pneumonia is a major cause of lamb mortality
Annual vaccination with multivalent clostridial vaccines is standard in UK sheep farming
Ewe vaccination 4-6 weeks before lambing protects lambs through colostrum
Orf (contagious ecthyma) vaccination prevents painful facial lesions in lambs

Welfare Considerations

Failure to vaccinate effectively against clostridial diseases results in acute painful deaths that are entirely preventable. Vaccine timing errors including too close to lambing or in the wrong vaccination site reduce efficacy. Flock health planning with a veterinarian including vaccination protocols is a welfare duty for sheep farmers.

What You Can Do

Consult a veterinarian for flock health vaccination planning
Record all vaccination events in flock health records
Support flock health planning scheme uptake in UK sheep farming
Donate to sheep health and welfare education programmes