West’s farmers to feature in national sheep project
FARMERS have welcomed the launch of a new initiative to improve the control of sheep scab in three hotspot areas - with one of those being the South West.
The National Sheep Association (NSA) is just one of a number of partners involved in the two-year project, funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) via the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) and led by the Moredun Research Institute.
Sheep scab, a highly infectious disease caused by the parasitic mite Psoroptes ovis, costs the British sheep industry an estimated £70-200 million every year. It has remained a significant problem for the health, welfare and productivity of sheep since the 1950s, when it was re-introduced via imported animals.
Participating farmers in three focus areas - the North West, Midlands and South West - will be offered free on-farm advice, training and blood testing using the sheep scab ELISA test developed by the Moredun Research Institute.
The NSA, which represents the views and interests of sheep producers throughout the UK, said it is “fully supportive” of the concept. With a strong regional presence in the South West, the organisation has already identified an area suitable to deliver the project aims and working with people already on the ground will bring together sheep farmers, their vets, and advisors into appropriate clusters.
Given its role throughout the UK, the NSA is also ideally placed to extrapolate learnings from the projects to elsewhere in the region and throughout England, as well as linking with and comparing to existing initiatives in the devolved UK nations.
Phil Stocker, chief executive of the NSA, said: “Sheep scab continues to be a health and economic problem with significant costs to the UK sheep industry. Many outbreaks are ‘imposed’ on farmers through actions outside their control which is why co-ordinated control programmes need to be implemented. By integrating blood-testing, sound advice and good training, there is a strong chance to show how we could bring this debilitating disease under control.
“The number of farmers to be recruited to this project means it a far step from a national eradication programme – but the partnership approach and strong execution means it has the potential to be the benchmark and launch pad for future, larger initiatives. That is why NSA was so keen to be involved.
“It is an exciting community-led approach involving a team of experts who will work collaboratively with farmers to drive and demonstrate real change - hopefully leading to even greater things in the future.”
Project leader Dr Stewart Burgess, from the Moredun Research Institute, added it was “imperative” that the industry made a concerted effort to bring the disease under control.
“Sheep scab is a real scourge for the sheep industry in the UK,” he said. “This new initiative gives us the opportunity to get ahead of the curve in terms of scab control, setting a new benchmark for how we deal with the disease in the future.” Farmers wanting to know more about NSA’s planned approach in the South West should contact Sean Riches, NSA policy and technical officer, by sending an email to sean@ nationalsheep.org.uk