TODAY'S FARM ANIMALS
THE INSIDE STORY
Page c
SHEEP
Not so many people concerned about animal welfare worry about sheep, except when they hear about the appalling conditions of their transport overseas. However, there are serious welfare problems connected with sheep farming.
 A sheep's woolly coat can disguise hunger. Photo: FAWN |
The suffering of sheep can be extreme, although it's not always obvious to the casual observer. With their woolly coats, sheep can look good, even if they're virtually starving. Hill sheep may suffer great deprivation, mainly from neglect. The shepherd counting his sheep is a Biblical rather than a modern concept! Lameness, hunger and maggot infestation are often ignored. The welfare of the males (rams) is often given a low priority at times other than the mating period, resulting in suffering from abscesses and foot disorders.
CASTRATION
Castration may be carried out without the benefit of anaesthetics. Methods include cutting off the blood supply to the testicles and scrotum with a tight rubber ring, crushing the spermatic cords, and surgical castration with a sharp knife. This last method can lead to haemorrhage, prolapse of the intestines and infections of the wound. The Farm Animal Welfare Council, in its 1994 Report on sheep welfare has suggested that "all farmers should consider carefully the necessity for performing any mutilation on sheep. "
DIY SURGERY
For financial reasons, farmers may be reluctant to call in vets, preferring to save on veterinary bills by performing painful "operations" which should certainly only be carried out under veterinary care.
TRANSPORT The scandal of the transport and export of live farm animals is well documented. Hunger and thirst, heat stress or cold and exhaustion all take their toll. Dehydration is a major problem; the misery of tired and desperately thirsty lambs can easily be imagined. Journeys may be of fifty hours or more. British sheep often end up in countries where slaughter conditions are appalling. The Labour Government has expressed its wish that all export of meat should be in carcass form, to end the cruel exploitation of live animals during transport.
WATER
The Ministry of Agriculture's Code of Recomendations for the Welfare of Sheep states:
"Sheep should have access to sufficent food and fresh, clean water at all times."
Despite this recommendation, farmers often fail to supply sheep with any source of drinking water, so causing distress and suffering.
SLAUGHTER
Most British sheep are killed by the electrical stun method, followed by the severing of major arteries and veins. If every stage of the process is correctly carried out, sheep will not regain consciousness following stunning, but, as with other farm animals, there is the danger that the stun is inadequate. An unknown proportion of sheep bleed to death while conscious.