Most of the 19 million residents of Nepal are engaged in subsistence farming, therefore, it is of national importance that the country's sheep and goats are in good health. However, footrot was introduced by imported sheep in the 1960s. No control was attempted until 1975, by which time footrot had become endemic to three districts.
Footrot is a contagious bacterial disease which is transferred from hoof to hoof via wet soils and pastures. Affected animals may have lesions on the foot, lose large amounts of body weight and produce little fleece of inferior quality. As a result, meat per carcase, yields of wool, shepherds incomes, manure available to fertilise crops and pastures are all affected. In addition, animals cannot migrate to alpine pastures in spring and back to the villages in autumn. This upsets village practice of growing and harvesting crops while the stock are away.