Understanding positive animal welfare through good stockmanship: insights from UK sheep farmers

Scientific frameworks increasingly conceptualise good animal welfare as involving positive experiences, not just the prevention of suffering and pain. Yet less is understood about how farmers themselves conceptualise and pursue positive animal welfare in practice. This study explored how UK sheep farmers understand and pursue positive animal welfare and the extent to which their described practices align with contemporary scientific conceptions. Semi-structured interviews with 25 UK sheep farmers were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Participants described practices consistent with contemporary positive animal welfare, including behavioural choice and feed choice, but rarely conceptualised these as positive animal welfare interventions. Rather, these practices were conceptualised as outcomes of good stockmanship and health management. The participants also described competing economic and environmental considerations, highlighting the practical trade-offs involved in animal welfare improvement. The findings suggest that the participating farmers and contemporary scientific frameworks share similar aspirations but differ in how they conceptualise and achieve positive animal welfare. The findings contribute to debates on positive animal welfare by providing an empirically grounded, farmer-centred perspective on how positive welfare is understood and pursued within commercial sheep farming systems.