[Animal welfare aspects in raising sheep]

Basing on experience in sheep herd health service light is thrown on sheep keeping in Germany concerning protection of sheep against cruelty. Despite there is at the moment no legislative regulation especially on keeping sheep, there exist a number of local and european recommendations. Cruelty and undesirable or avoidable disorders and loads occur in small sheep flocks often due to unawareness of the owner who keeps his sheep as a hobby. In large herds the increasing flock size and the more and more extensive husbandry clash increasingly with the requirements of the sheep.