The laparoscopic technique used for intra-uterine insemination of sheep within sire-referencing schemes involves a small degree of surgical intervention. Although current codes of practice require the use of sedation and local anaesthesia, the concept of laparoscopic procedures still raises welfare questions in the minds of some. In spite of its sensitivity, little work has yet been undertaken to objectively measure the stress responses of sheep to laparoscopic procedures, and the present studies were therefore designed to rectify this deficiency.