Sheep are one of the oldest and most important domestic animals for humans. It played a significant role even during the previous centuries due to its versatile uses - for e.g. wool, meat, milk, hides and skins, intestines, etc.

Although wool production is no longer so important, we still see a significant increase in the global meat production.

In 1980, about 6.5 million tons of sheep meat was produced which grew to around 11.3 million tons in 2001 and the trend is still rising.

The production of sheep milk will become more important in the future.  This growing importance is simply by the fact that more and more people are becoming allergic to the components of cow's milk which are difficult to digest. This is probably a consequence of the increasing number of food additives, chemicals and radiation exposure.

What has already been mentioned for cattle and pigs, also applies to sheep farming and breeding.  The trend is towards larger farms with increasing livestock density.  The resulting increased risks in terms of disease, epidemics and injuries can be reduced in sheep by using CyberScan and the results can be improved.