Every year, a large number of sheep are sent to graze in the outfield pastures of Norway. The sheep are fortunate to roam freely throughout the summer, but unfortunately, many animals never return home.
Most of the animals die from unknown causes
The media often blames predators, but figures from Rovbase (link) show that most of the animals die from unknown causes. These can include parasite infestations, accidents and other injuries, as well as blowfly strike, to name a few.
Better welfare for grazing sheep
It is the animal owner’s responsibility to ensure that the sheep do not suffer while grazing. The law states that animals on outfield pasture must be checked once a week in areas without particular risk, and Animal Protection Norway believes that this is not sufficient. High losses of sheep on pasture are not compatible with good animal welfare and there is a need for better knowledge about the causes of the high loss figures.
In this way, we can reduce the loss and spare many sheep from great suffering. We would also like to see preventive measures rewarded more than what one receives in compensation afterward.
Loss figures in 2023
Here you can see an overview of the number of animals that have been lost during 2023.
1806427
Number of sheep/lambs released for grazing
1702904
Number of sheep/lambs gathered from pasture
103523
Number of sheep/lambs lost on pasture
17464
Number of lost animals compensated as lost to predators.
Of these 17,464 individuals, the wolf accounts for 11.1% or just under 2,000 individuals
