Brief Lives

In Australia, up to 15 million lambs die of starvation, neglect and exposure within the first 48 hours of their lives. Farmers practice winter lambing in order to produce the highest number of lambs at the lowest cost. Sheep give birth in winter months. Up to a quarter of the lambs do not survive their first few days. They are not provided with sufficient shelter from the wind, rain, frost and predators.

This lets the mothers have richer feed in winter and the surviving lambs grow fatter more quickly in springtime. For farmers, the millions of deaths are an acceptable consequence of reduced feed costs and heavier spring lambs.