title: Validating indicators of sheep welfare through a consensus of expert opinion.
abstract: A consensus of expert opinion was used to provide both face and consensual validity to a list of potential indicators of sheep welfare. This approach was used as a first step in the identification of valid welfare indicators for sheep. The consensus methodology of the National Institute of Health, using pre-meeting consultation and focus group discussions, was used to ascertain the consensus opinion of a panel of sheep welfare experts. The Farm Animal Welfare Council's five freedoms were used as a framework to organise a list of current on-farm welfare issues for sheep. The five freedoms were also the welfare criterion used to identify potential on-farm welfare indicators for sheep. As a result, experts identified 193 welfare issues for sheep and lambs managed on farms across England and Wales. Subsequently, a combination of animal- (n = 26), resource- (n = 13) and management- (n = 22) based indicators was suggested for (i) adult rams, (ii) adult ewes (male and female sheep, over 1 year old), (iii) growing lambs (male and female sheep, over 6 weeks to 1 year old) and (iv) young lambs (male and female lambs, 6 weeks old and under). The results from this study could therefore be used to inform the further development of valid methods of assessing the on-farm welfare of sheep.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Institute of Global Health and Infection, University of Liverpool, Leahurst, Neston CH64 7TE, UK. C.J.Phythian@liverpool.ac.uk
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Phythian
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Michalopoulou
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Winter
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Clarkson
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Stubbings
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Grove-White
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Cripps
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Duncan