CONCERNS FOR SHEEP
TRANSPORTATION AND JOURNEY
Live Exports
No way of being transported, taken on a journey, is likely to be pleasant for sheep. Live exports is the transportation of livestock across national borders. Live exports of sheep, when it consists of sheep being carried on a ship on sea, for a long time, is likely to be type of travel that is most unpleasant for sheep. The reasons for live exports of sheep are most usually: that a religion requires that those of the religion see that sheep are slaughtered to a particular rite; that sheep are needed to be exported for breeding purposes. Some countries have banned live exports. Australia is to ban live exports of sheep by sea on 1st May 2028. Ban Live Exports International Awareness Day is on 14th June, so this year it was last Sunday.
EDUCATION
Meeting Requirements
Having the requirements of their clients/customers who put much importance upon sheep welfare must be helpful to sheep farmers in their wanting to do and maintain business with those people, and with others. And the input can assist towards removing any tendency in sheep farmers to get ‘set in their ways’.
ENTERTAINING
Sheep Movie
A recently-released movie is The Sheep Detectives. The film is for family viewing; it is a mystery comedy film. Its story is of a shepherd being found dead and the search to find the murderer. A distinctive element to the movie is that the shepherd’s flock helps humans to solve the mystery. Likely expectation in the context would be that portrayal of the sheep would be in form of cartoon. The unexpected feature to the film is that in it are real sheep, along with sheep looking as though they are real.
TRANSPORTATION AND JOURNEY
Journeys of Awfulness
It is probable that sheep never enjoy being transported in a vehicle. The inside of a vehicle is not their natural habitat. And often they are crammed together. It will not be nice to have a lengthy journey. Journeys that are of very long duration, and that are, moreover, by ship and on sea, have potential - and likelihood - to be journeys of particular awfulness for sheep. Among risks for sheep of such journeys are overcrowding, temperature extremes, not enough food or water, stress, fear, injury, death.
CLIMATE CHANGE
To Think About Weather
Weather that is not what would normally be expected, for the time of year, in type, and in intensity, is being experienced in many parts of the globe. Climate change is happening.
Prior to climate change’s arrival, sheep farmers and shepherds over the world have known well in what particular kind of environment they were raising sheep. Essentially present was habitual circumstance. How weather would be during the sheep farming year could be envisaged, so what was to happen, and when, could be decided reasonably confidently. And because largely what was done was what had been always done, the plan of action and provision could comprise ‘the usual’.
WELFARE
Some Progress
On this launch day for the Concerns for Sheep website, looking at recent activity in relation to the welfare of sheep, what can be seen that is helpful and encouraging?
On 22nd December 2025 the Animal Welfare Strategy for England was announced, with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) stating, ‘Our aspiration is to move towards a model where as many farmed animals as possible experience a good life and not just a life worth living.’ (DEFRA Policy Paper ‘Animal Welfare Strategy for England’, 22 December 2022). The subject areas that the Strategy addresses of particular relevance for sheep are: climate change; transportation.