sustainable control of parasites in sheep scops

SCOPS urges vigilance as recent wet weather increases parasite risks in lambs After a period of wet weather preceded by a hot, dry spell across many parts of the UK, SCOPS (Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep) is urging sheep farmers to be extra vigilant when monitoring parasite burdens in lambs.

Nerys Wright, Technical Adviser for SCOPS, warns that the recent conditions could create a perfect storm for increased worm challenges on pasture.

“Wet weather creates ideal conditions for worm larvae to survive and move up the grass stem, increasing the risk of ingestion by grazing lambs,” says Nerys. “It can also release large numbers of larvae from dung pats as they break down, further increasing the challenge”.

While SCOPS encourages farmers to carry out regular faecal egg counts (FECs) to monitor parasite levels and make informed treatment decisions, they must also be on the guard when conditions lead to a sudden increase in infective larvae on pasture.

“It is really important to consider how lambs are performing in terms of daily liveweight gains (DLWG) and their general appearance because there can be a delay of two to three weeks between larvae being ingested and eggs appearing in the faeces, so farmers must trust their stockperson’s eye and daily liveweight gain alongside FEC results,” Nerys adds.

SCOPS is reminding farmers that proactive parasite control is not about routine blanket treatments, but about using tools like FECs, grazing management, DLWG to pick up worm challenges before FECs start to rise, and targeted treatments to manage or delay the development of wormer resistance and protect animal health.

“By testing regularly and acting early, farmers can avoid performance losses and reduce the need for whole-flock treatments,” says Nerys. “It’s about being strategic and responsive to the conditions on your farm.”

Nematodirus Update
Most of the UK is now in the post-hatch phase for nematodirus larvae, but sheep farmers in some areas should remain vigilant. Much of Scotland and parts of Northern Ireland are currently at peak hatch (shown by a black dot on the SCOPS Nematodirus Forecast map) or just after peak hatch (shown by a red triangle), meaning at-risk* lambs born in April and May could face a significant challenge.

In some hill and upland areas of England and Wales, a significant hatch may still occur, posing a threat to later-born lambs, particularly at higher altitudes or on north-facing grazing where hatching can be delayed beyond the model’s predictions.

*Any decision on if and when to treat for Nematodirus should be based on two factors: the lambs’ age and pasture contamination, and the temperature profile where they are grazing.

Lamb and pasture factors – are they at risk? Watch a short video here.

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SCOPS urges sheep farmers to 'safeguard their valuables'

At a busy time of year for sheep to move between holdings, the Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep (SCOPS) group is encouraging producers to think about sheep health as an extremely precious asset worthy of strong protection.

Speaking on behalf of the group, independent sheep consultant Lesley Stubbings says: 'If you were guarding a valuable treasure you would probably keep it in a fortress, with sturdy walls, strong gates, and vigilant guards. If your fortress was approached by unknown people you wouldn't just let them in, you would stop them and carry out checks to make sure they were not a threat to your treasure, not think about it once they were inside the walls. Yet that is what many sheep farmers do every autumn when they bring in replacement sheep.'

Ms Stubbings says it does not matter if incoming sheep look really well, were from a top-priced pen or even come from a known source. They still carry the potential to wreak havoc from a long list of potential threats - including sheep scab, lice, resistant roundworms and/or liver fluke, haemonchus contortus (the barber's pole worm), contagious ovine digital dermatitis (CODD), footrot and orf to mention a few.

'Most of these you cannot see and some, such as CODD or sheep scab, can take some time to show themselves. The only way to protect your flock is to put a safeguarding policy in place,' she says.

'For sheep farmers, our fortress is our fences, our guards are testing and appropriate treatments, and our strong gates are the steps we take to isolate any new sheep to make sure they are not bringing in any threats. Key to the whole process is making sure they go into an isolation period (quarantine), just as you would imagine medieval newcomers camping outside the fortress walls until they were deemed safe. In modern parlance, it's like hitting the pause button online when playing a video game, so you can isolate yourself from a dangerous enemy until you have had time to assess the threat and find a way to neutralise it.'

Kevin Harrison, a sheep farmer from near Bristol who chairs the SCOPS group, has many years' experience of buying in replacement females and running the risk of bringing in new health problems. He says: 'Of course, an effective quarantine policy requires some time and costs money, but this is nothing compared to the cost of importing one or more of these diseases. For example, sheep scab can take up to six months to show its hand, by which time the majority of the breeding ewes in a flock will be affected, along with young lambs. Anyone who's gone through that will tell you it's a very unpleasant experience, very difficult to deal with, and devastating for your flock's health status.'

A wide range of practical biosecurity and quarantine advice for farmers, vets and advisers is available on the SCOPS website at
www.scops.org.uk/internal-parasites/quarantine-advice-for-internal-and-external-parasites. This includes a downloadable poster for vets and advisers, and a calendar to apply to different on-farm scenarios depending on risk levels.

*SCOPS is funded by AgriSearch, AHDB, Animal Health Distributors Association (AHDA), Animal Medicines Training Regulatory Authority (AMTRA), Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC), National Farmers Union (NFU), National Office of Animal Health (NOAH), National Sheep Association (NSA), Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and Vetpol. These bodies are joined by a number of experts in parasitology and sheep health to form the SCOPS Steering Group. A full list is available at www.scops.org.uk.

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