The highest mortality rate in ewes is linked to respiratory diseases, Shane McGettrick told farmers last week.
Shane was speaking at the Teagasc National Hill Sheep Conference on Thursday, February 24, at the Clayton Hotel in Co. Sligo.
McGettrick is a laboratory manager with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s Regional Veterinary Laboratory in Co. Sligo.
On the issue of diseases he and his colleagues find commonly in ewes, Shane said: “The highest mortality seen in ewes, or common diagnosis is respiratory issues.
“After that, we have seen a good bit of parasitic diseases and enteric conditions. Furthermore, a good few issues related to metabolic issues coming up to lambing pop-up quite a bit.
“Probably not as much on hill sheep farms, but sheep that are fed silage, particularly in the case of lowland farms, we see listeria and central nervous system (CNS) conditions popping up.
“Other issues that come up are clostridial diseases and poisoning on farms.”
Shane moved on with his presentation to talk about iceberg diseases, including Ovine Pulmonary Adenocarinoma (OPA), Caseous Lymphadenitis, Border disease, Johne’s disease and Maedi Visna.
He said that these diseases are becoming more common on farms and that farmers will be hearing a lot more about them down the line.