The National Sheep Association (NSA) has warned farmers of the risk of disease transmission when buying in replacement stock.
The chief executive of the trade association for UK sheep farmers, Phil Stocker, said the warning follows a number of farmers reporting that they have “unsuspectedly bought in diseases to their flocks when purchasing replacements”.
With breeding sheep sales in full swing, the NSA said farmers must be aware of what they can do to prevent disease spread.
“I have lost count of the number of farmers who I have spoken to that have unsuspectedly bought in diseases to their flocks when purchasing replacements,” Stocker said.
“Having experienced the serious consequences of this these farmers are urging NSA to do more to highlight the risk to others and encourage more responsible and trustworthy trade.”
The NSA said awareness of some of the risks of bought-in stock, like foot disease and anthelmintic resistance of certain parasites, is well known with “plentiful advice” available on methods to reduce these risks.
However, it said, while those risks are “widely considered”, the risk of introducing “iceberg diseases” such as maedi visna (MV), ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma (OPA) and Border Disease are frequently still ignored by many.
“This is all about reducing the risks rather than any guarantees of ‘disease free’ status,” Stocker said.
“It will surely be a matter of time before more suppliers of breeding stock are providing some indication of the disease status of the stock they are selling.”
Good practice
The NSA said the sheep sector will see more rapid progress if buyers begin to ask more questions, and then back these up with reasonable quarantine procedures when stock arrives home following purchase.
To buy from the same trusted farms repeatedly is “a good place to start”, it said, if there is confidence that previous stock has been trouble free and has held body condition well.
If the seller isn’t part of a health scheme or has not done any screening, then it is advisable for the purchaser to do random blood tests when the sheep arrive home and whilst still in isolation.
Buying ewe lambs and running them on in isolation also gives breathing space to identify problems before mixing with the main flock, the NSA said.
“Considering the risks and taking a few reasonable steps to protect the home flock, and your investment, is a good place to start, and quarantining and testing both females and males is advisable,” Stocker said.
“I realise some breeding sheep producers might find these comments challenging, but I can definitely foresee a time when it becomes the norm to give some indication of health status.
“I also realise how hard it is as a producer of breeding stock to test and receive some unwelcome results -this can be costly and damage reputations, but taking responsible action is surely better to protect reputations and business in the longer term.”
Stocker said, for buyers and sellers, this is without doubt an area where “a good conversation with your sheep vet can pay dividends”.
