Over 30 flocks from across Northern Ireland (NI) have signed up, so far, for a ‘ground-breaking’ project to tackle sheep scab which was announced earlier this year.
The work involved in delivering the project is being undertaken by the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), the NI Sheep Scab Group, the Moredun Research Institute and Animal Health and Welfare NI (AHWNI).
The project is entitled: ‘Factors influencing endemic disease in the NI sheep flock’.
The work has been funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and will allow up to 100 flocks to join the scheme.
Sheep scab
This grassroots initiative focuses on farmers, vets and other industry professionals uniting to tackle the devastating disease, which has blighted the sheep farming community and their flocks for decades.
Scab is a form of allergic dermatitis caused by a hypersensitivity reaction to the faeces of the sheep scab mite (psoroptesovis).
The mite can survive for up to 17 days off the sheep so can be spread for example by wool tags on handling facilities or on fencing. The disease is a significant welfare concern for affected sheep as well as an economic concern for farmers and the wool industry.
There are limitations to some of the treatment options, and resistance has been reported in Great Britain (GB) to some of the products licensed to treat and prevent scab.
Clinical signs of the condition include: Restlessness; rubbing against fence posts; soiled/stained areas of wool; head tossing / biting and a pulled wool appearance leading to fleece loss.
Initiative
The project entails an on-farm visit, giving the farm’s local veterinary surgeon the opportunity to diagnose and treat any cases of sheep scab.
In addition, the veterinary surgeon will gather information about the outbreak and take time to address other concerns and queries that farmers may have about their flock’s health.
Project coordinator, Paul Crawford, stated:
“We hope this project will act as a catalyst for change and eventually lead to the creation of a bespoke eradication plan. But in order to get to that stage, we first have to obtain relevant data.”
Despite currently being a notifiable disease in Northern Ireland, little research has been undertaken into sheep scab. Information from this project will be crucial to inform future sheep scab control and eradication plans.
The progress in getting farmers on board for the initiative coincides with the development of a new test, developed by staff at the Moredun Research Institute. It is giving hope that sheep scab can be eradicated in the UK and Ireland.
Essentially, it works to identify infected sheep before physical symptoms become apparent.