VegSocUK Information Sheet THE VEGETARIAN SOCIETY ___________________________________ SHEEP There are around 44 million sheep in the UK national flock including about 50 pure breeds and 300 crossbreeds. Over 22 million are lambs under one year of age whilst 17 million are breeding ewes. Most sheep are slaughtered as lambs. Whilst sheep appear to have been less affected by intensive farming practices compared with other farm animals their rearing can still involve considerable suffering and welfare problems. SHEEP PRODUCTION Ewes are first mated in their first or second years. Ewes naturally come into heat in autumn or winter and gestation period is about five months meaning lambs are born in spring or summer when the weather is warmer and grass is growing. However this can be altered by controlled breeding with ewes being brought into heat by administering hormones. This means lambs can be born throughout the year providing a constant supply to market. Rams are usually from special breeding farms. A single ram will usually serve 30 to 60 ewes. Artificial insemination is uncommon in sheep though new techniques are being developed to make it more efficient. Ewes generally lamb once/year though selective breeding has meant some can lamb twice/year. Breeding has also encouraged ewes to have twins or triplets rather than a single lamb. If a ewe has only a single lamb the unborn lamb may grow too large to pass through the narrow birth canal, sheep having been bred to be smaller. Many farmers may choose to cut the front legs off the live lamb whilst still in the womb. This is called embryotomy and is carried out to avoid having to pay a vet to perform a caesarian. The practice is widespread and more than 50 000 lambs are believed to be killed in this manner during the lambing season. Around 4 million lambs die each year. Exposure, hypothermia, starvation and disease account for most of these. Sometimes there may be too many lambs in the flock (due to multiple births or the death of ewes.) These orphan lambs may be auctioned at markets at only a few days old. These lambs are especially prone to disease and mortality is high. 35 000 orphan lambs are sent to market during the lambing season. A trend towards intensification means lambs are weaned earlier, fed on milk substitute and feed concentrates and housed indoors. Indoor housing has lead to increasing disease problems including coccidiosis, watery mouth and sheep lice. Male lambs are castrated before three months old. The commonest method is by the application of a tight rubber ring cutting off the blood supply. Castration can occur without anaesthetic in lambs up to three months provided the ring is applied within the first week of life. The Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) stated in 1992 that castration by means of a rubber ring causes considerably greater pain than the alternative clamping method which is sometimes used. Acute pain lasts for several hours following application of the ring. Sometimes castration may be performed surgically using a knife. Again, this can be carried out without anaesthetic or a vet being present. Tail docking of lambs may also occur without anaesthetic. Between 15 - 25% of ewes are culled each year because of lameness, poor health or failing to lamb. These are replaced in the flock. Flock stocking densities are steadily increasing. This is causing environmental problems in upland areas as overgrazing by sheep leads to loss of vegetation and soil erosion. In common with other farm animals, sheep suffer from a wide range of diseases. The commonest is foot-rot which often results in lameness. Foot-rot is encouraged by a high stocking density in housing and pens. Lameness can also be caused by other infectious diseases and is a major welfare problem in sheep. Sheep scab and myiasis (blowfly strike) are distressing and potentially fatal contagious diseases in sheep. These are prevented by sheep dipping. Sheep dipping was made compulsory twice a year in 1985 but made non-compulsory again in 1992. Sheep dips contain toxic organophosphates which are believed to be responsible for a high incidence of severe illness in farmers. The possible toxic effects of sheep dips on the sheep themselves has not been studied. Other diseases affecting sheep include mastitis, toxoplasmosis, liver fluke and scrapie (related to BSE in cattle.) Many sheep suffer from pneumonia and hypothermia during the winter when exposed to harsh weather conditions. This is a particular problem for sheep in upland areas. Around 40% of sheep in the UK live in hard upland conditions where winter hand feeding is restricted and shelter minimal. Some sheep are housed indoors during the winter in enclosed sheds or barns. These may be poorly lit with concrete or slatted floors. TRANSPORT & SLAUGHTER Sheep may be transported considerable distances to slaughter. Over 1.3 million sheep and lambs were exported live in 1992 and this figure is predicted to increase to between 2.5 and 3.5 million in 1993. 82% of live sheep are exported to France. Sheep are crammed into lorries so tightly packed that they may be unable to turn around or lie down. They may be exposed to extreme weather conditions. Heatstroke, hypothermia and pneumonia are common. Journeys can last 24 hours or more during which time the sheep are neither fed or watered. This is extremely distressing for the animals and mortality is high. In Britain, most sheep go to slaughter via markets rather than direct from the farm. This can increase the stress animals experience as well as increasing the incidence of injury. Over 19 million sheep were slaughtered in the UK in 1992. Over 90% of these were lambs of varying ages. Sheep are slaughtered by electrical stunning followed by neck-cutting. Stunning may often be ineffective and sheep may regain consciousness during bleeding-out or even before throat-slitting. Stunning by firing a captive bolt into the animals head is regarded as a more effective method but is not often used in British abattoirs due to being more costly. MULESING AND TOOTH-GRINDING Mulesing and tooth-grinding of sheep is prohibited in the UK but is widespread elsewhere, especially in Australia and New Zealand. Much of the lamb consumed and wool used in Britain is imported from these countries. Australia is the world's leading sheep producer and exporter with a national flock of an estimated 135 million sheep. Mortality is high, at around 8 million sheep/year. Around 100 million sheep suffer from mulesing each year. Mulesing involves the slicing away of folds of skin from beneath the sheep's tail which forms a wool-free scar and so prevents blowfly strike (blowflies laying their eggs in the damp wool and the larvae eating into the flesh of the living sheep.) This is carried out without anaesthetic and causes severe and prolonged pain. Mulesing is carried out because it is seen as being cheaper and easier than alternatives such as regular shearing of wool. Tooth-grinding of older sheep is also routine. Tooth-grinding is supposed to reduce the number of ewes prematurely culled due to broken teeth. It involves a rotary stone cutting machine to slice off the ewe's front teeth through the pulp almost down to the gum. In the UK, tooth-grinding was carried out by a less severe method involving shortening the front teeth with less likelihood of cutting through sensitive tissue. However, this practice is now illegal in the UK. WOOL Wool production in the UK tends to be a by-product of the meat industry, the wool produced being of low quality. Wool accounts for 5-10% of the total value of a ewe. Most British wool is used for coarse fabrics such as carpets. Wool production in Britain was 72 million kg in 1992. Sheep are first sheared at around 14 months old. Lambs of some breeds may be clipped to provide lambswool. The entire fleece is sheared in one piece. Sheep have been selectively bred to produce a thick fleece and need to be sheared in early summer to prevent heatstroke. Wild sheep do not need to be sheared. ___________________________________ // This article is copyright to the Vegetarian Society (UK), but may be freely copied for non-commercial use provided it is kept intact, not altered and these lines are included. For futher information contact: The Vegetarian Society, Parkdale, Dunham Road, Altrincham, Cheshire WA14 4QG, England. Tel: (England) 061 928 0793 email: vegsoc@vegsoc.demon.co.uk // [The text of this file was obtained from the Vegetarian Society (UK) in March 1995.]