Delegates from Ireland; France; UK; Spain; Italy; Greece; Hungary; and Turkey, encompassing both meat and milk sheep systems of production, recently participated in a virtual workshop as part of EuroSheep.
EuroSheep is an EU-funded thematic network to encourage knowledge exchange on flock nutrition, health and management, between European sheep sector stakeholders in many countries.
Speaking following the first EuroSheep transnational workshop, Dr. Tim Keady – a Teagasc sheep researcher based in Athenry, Co. Galway said: “The aim of this workshop was to discuss what are the main needs, issues and challenges of stakeholders involved in sheep production in relation to nutrition, health and management of their flocks in the EuroSheep countries.
“These needs/challenges had been identified in an online survey undertaken by stakeholders from across Europe, including farmers; advisors; veterinarians; and researchers.
“The stakeholders were asked about their needs/challenges relating to sheep and lamb nutrition, ewe and lamb health, and flock management,” he said.
Similar challenges across Europe
The needs/challenges identified by stakeholders were similar across many countries e.g. in relation to ewe nutrition, from a choice of 12 options, Irish farmers identified grazing management; knowledge of nutrient requirements; mineral and vitamin supplementation; and forage feed value as their four main needs/challenges.
Meanwhile all other EuroSheep countries identified knowledge of nutrient requirements; grazing management; forage feed value; and mineral and vitamin supplementation as their four main needs.
The main needs/challenges identified by Irish farmers, many of which are similar to many countries, for ewe and lamb health were lameness, internal parasites and clostridial diesases.
Mastitis and joint ill were also identified as major needs/challenges in ewe and lamb health, respectively.
The main needs/challenges identified for flock management were flock health plans, anthelmintic resistance, and sheep shed management.
Dr. Keady said: “The next step of EuroSheep is to identify solutions and ‘tips and tricks’ to respond to these needs/challenges identified by stakeholders in all EuroSheep countries.
Each country will identify best practices that could address the needs/challenges identified by stakeholders in other EuroSheep partner countries. Thus a true cross-exchange approach is being employed.
The next transnational workshop will allow farmers to select the best solutions, before testing them on their own farms – which is the true test of any technology.