Welfare of sheep: code of practice

Housing

General

Schedule 1, paragraph 4 of the Welfare of Farmed Animals (Scotland) Regulations 2010 (S.S.I. 2010 No. 388) provides that, where sheep are kept in a building:

They must be kept on, or have access at all times to, a lying area which is well maintained with dry bedding or litter or a well drained area for resting.

Schedule 1, paragraph 6 states:

Where necessary, sick or injured animals must be isolated in suitable accommodation with, where appropriate, dry comfortable bedding.

Schedule 1, paragraph 9 of the Welfare of Farmed Animals (Scotland) Regulations 2010 (S.S.I. 2010 No. 388) states that:

The freedom of movement of animals, having regard to their species and in accordance with established experience and scientific knowledge, must not be restricted in such a way as to cause them unnecessary suffering or injury.

Schedule 1, paragraph 10 states that where animals are continuously or regularly tethered or confined:

They must be given the space appropriate to their physiological and ethological needs in accordance with established experience and scientific knowledge.

98 Winter housing of sheep can improve welfare but problems of both disease and welfare can arise when large numbers are kept together. Advice should be sought on the design, construction or modification of buildings. Adequate ventilation without draughts is of particular importance, as also is the provision of sufficient trough space and lying area.

99 The greater the restriction imposed on a sheep through housing systems, the less the animal is able to use its instinctive behaviour to minimise the effects of any imposed, unfavourable conditions. Housed sheep require continuing conscientious attention by staff well trained in the nutritional and environmental needs of the sheep.

100 When changes are made to sheep husbandry systems which involve installing more complex or elaborate equipment than had previously been used, consideration should be given to the welfare of the animals and the need for the training of the shepherd.

101 Dry, clean, comfortable conditions under foot should be provided to minimise footrot and hygiene problems. Regular provision of fresh bedding is particularly important at lambing time.

102 When first housed, sheep should be both dry and free from footrot. Sheep affected by footrot should be segregated and treated immediately in order to prevent it from becoming a flock problem.

Ventilation

Schedule 1, paragraph 13 of the Welfare of Farmed Animals (Scotland) Regulations 2010 (S.S.I. 2010 No. 388) states that:

Air circulation, dust levels, temperature, relative air humidity and gas concentrations must be kept within limits which are not harmful to the animals.

103 Effective ventilation of buildings (to avoid high humidity, condensation and draughts) is essential as sheep are particularly susceptible to respiratory diseases. Properly designed ventilation will permit the free circulation of air above sheep height and avoid draughts at sheep level.

Buildings and equipment

104 The law sets minimum requirements for the housing of sheep.

Schedule 1, paragraphs 11 and 12 of the Welfare of Farmed Animals (Scotland) Regulations 2010 (S.S.I. 2010 No. 388) state that:

• materials used for the construction of accommodation and, in particular, for the construction of pens, cages, stalls and equipment with which the animals may come into contact, must not be harmful to them and must be capable of being thoroughly cleaned and disinfected
• accommodation and fittings for securing animals shall be constructed and maintained so that there are no sharp edges or protrusions likely to cause injury to them

105 Internal surfaces of housing and pens should be made of materials which can be cleansed and disinfected or be easily replaced when necessary.

106 Surfaces should not be treated with paints or wood preservatives which may cause illness or death. There is a risk of lead poisoning from old paintwork especially when second-hand building materials are used.

107 All floors should be designed, constructed and maintained so as to avoid discomfort, stress or injury to the sheep. Regular maintenance is essential.

108 Solid floors should be well-drained and the sheep provided with dry bedding.

109 Newly-born and young lambs should not be put on slatted floors unless suitable bedding is also provided.

110 Water bowls and troughs should be constructed and sited so as to avoid fouling and to minimise the risk of water freezing in cold weather. They should be kept thoroughly clean and should be checked at least once daily, and more frequently in extreme conditions, to ensure that they are in working order.

111 Troughs should be designed and installed in such a way as to ensure small lambs cannot get into them and drown.

112 For sheep given concentrate feed, when all animals are fed together, it is important to have adequate trough space to avoid competition and aggression. In normal practice, approximately 30cm of trough space is needed for hill ewes and approximately 45cm for the larger lowland ewes. Excessive competition is detrimental to sheep welfare.

113 When feeding hay and silage ad lib, trough space should normally be provided within the range 10-12cm per ewe, dependent upon size. Racks and troughs should be positioned and designed to avoid injury, discomfort and damage to sheep.

Lighting

Schedule 1, paragraph 3 of the Welfare of Farmed Animals (Scotland) Regulations 2010 (S.S.I. 2010 No. 388) requires that:

Where animals are kept in a building adequate lighting (whether fixed or portable) must be available to enable them to be adequately inspected at any time.

Schedule 1, paragraphs 14-16 state that:

• animals kept in buildings must not be kept in permanent darkness
• where the natural light available in a building is insufficient to meet the physiological and ethological needs of any animals being kept in it then appropriate artificial lighting must be provided
• animals kept in buildings must not be kept without an appropriate period of rest from artificial lighting

114 The law requires that fixed or portable lighting be available so that sheep kept in buildings can be thoroughly inspected at any time.

115 Throughout the hours of daylight the level of indoor lighting, natural or artificial, should be such that all housed sheep can be seen clearly by the shepherd.

Space allowances

116 The space allowance and group size for housed sheep should be determined according to age, size and class of livestock. Some examples of current good practice, with adequate ventilation and well bedded on straw indoors, are set out below.

SPACE
Lowland ewes (60-90kg liveweight)	1.2-1.4m² floor space per ewe during pregnancy
Lowland ewes after lambing with lambs at foot up to 6 weeks of age	2.0-2.2m² floor space per ewe and lambs
Hill ewes (45-65kg live weight)	1.0-1.2m² floor space per ewe during pregnancy
Hill ewes after lambing, with lambs at foot up to 6 weeks of age	1.8-2.0m² floor space per ewe and lambs
Lambs up to 12 weeks old	0.5-0.6m² floor space per lamb
Lambs and sheep 12 weeks to 12 months old	0.75-0.9m² floor space per lamb/sheep
Rams	1.5-2.0m²

Shorn sheep
The space allowances may be reduced by 10% for winter-shorn sheep. However no corresponding reduction should be made in respect of the amount of trough space allocated - see paragraphs 112 and 113 above.

Group size
Where possible pregnant ewes should be kept in groups of less than 50 to allow for better individual recognition and attention at lambing time.

Mechanical equipment and services

Schedule 1, paragraph 18 of the Welfare of Farmed Animals (Scotland) Regulations 2010 (S.S.I. 2010 No. 388) states that:

All automated or mechanical equipment essential for the health and well-being of the animals must be inspected at least once a day to check that there is no defect in it.

Schedule 1, paragraph 19 states that:

Where any defect in automated or mechanical equipment of the type referred to in paragraph 18 is discovered, it must be rectified immediately, or if that is impossible, appropriate steps must be taken to safeguard the health and well-being of the animals pending the rectification of such defects including the use of alternative methods of feeding and watering and methods of providing and maintaining a satisfactory environment.

On artificial ventilation systems, Schedule 1, paragraph 20 states that where the health and well-being of animals is dependent on an artificial ventilation system:

(a) provision must be made for an appropriate back-up system to guarantee sufficient air renewal to preserve the health and well-being of the animals in the event of failure of the system; and

(b) an alarm system (which will operate even if the principal electricity supply to it has failed) must be provided to give warning of any failure of the system.

Schedule 1, paragraph 21 states that:

The back-up system referred to in paragraph 20(a) must be thoroughly inspected, and the alarm system referred to in paragraph 20(b) tested,
in each case not less than once every seven days in order to check that there is no defect in it, and, if any defect is found in such system or alarm (whether or not on it being inspected or tested in accordance with this paragraph) it must be rectified forthwith.

117 All equipment and services including water bowls and troughs, ventilating fans, heating and lighting units, milking machines, fire extinguishers and alarm systems should be cleaned and inspected regularly and kept in good working order.

118 The law (see box before paragraph 117) requires all automatic equipment used in intensive systems to be thoroughly inspected by the shepherd, or other competent person, not less than once each day to check that there is no defect. Any defect must be rectified immediately.

119 All electrical installations at mains voltage should be inaccessible to sheep, well insulated, safeguarded from rodents and properly earthed.

Fire and other emergency precautions

120 Farmers should make advance plans for dealing with emergencies such as fire, flood or disruption of supplies and should ensure that all staff are familiar with the appropriate emergency action.

121 Design advice is important when constructing or modifying a building. There should be provision for livestock to be released and evacuated quickly in the event of an emergency. Consideration should be given to installing fire alarm systems which can be heard and acted upon at any time of the day or night.

122 If sheep are housed, a knowledge of fire precautions by the farmer and all staff should be a priority.

123 Expert advice on all fire precautions is obtainable from fire prevention officers of local fire brigades and from the Fire Prevention Association.