Abstract :
The sheep industry in the Nordic countries varies considerably, with numbers of breeding
ewes reaching 57,000, 113,000, 220,000, 400,000 and 1,000,000 in Finland, Denmark,
Sweden, Iceland and Norway, respectively. Average flock size varies from 12 ewes in Denmark
to 255 ewes in Iceland. Main income is derived from lamb meat; wool and milk are
of minor importance. Major animal welfare and health concerns relates to neonatal lamb
losses, predation during summer pastures and parasitic diarrhoea in lambs. Contagious diseases
are rare and control and eradication programs for scrapie and Lentivirus-infections
are currently taking place.
