The original Sheep Welfare Code was published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) in 1983. In response to a number of recommendations in the Farm Animal Welfare Council's 1994 report on the welfare of sheep, MAFF, the Scottish Office Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Department and the Welsh Office Agriculture Department have now drafted a revised edition and are consulting on this. As well as seeking to make the report more user-friendly, the authors have placed clearer emphasis on the need for written health and welfare programmes and the importance of good stockmanship; they have also provided detailed advice on some key welfare aspects, such as dealing with lameness and the value of condition scoring in good husbandry.