Sheep

While blood tests for liver enzymes can assess how much damage has occurred to the liver these tests are not specifc for copper toxicity and liver damage can be due to other conditions such as the presence of parasites.

Feeding concentrates containing high levels of copper, excessive administration of copper containing mineral supplements or boluses, and grazing pastures which have been dressed in pig slurry are typical scenarios in which cases of copper toxicity in sheep may develop. However even a diet with an acceptable copper concentration can also cause subclinical toxicity if fed for long enough to vulnerable breeds. This is because copper is a cumulative poison with the combination of daily exposure and prolonged feeding playing a An EASTBIO Doctoral Training Partnership PhD studentship has been awarded to Moredun to investigate ways to optimise parasite control in hill and upland sheep

The four-year studentship, which has been awarded to Eilidh Geddes, is entitled “A Holistic approach to internal parasite control on hill and upland sheep farms” and will be supervised by researchers from Moredun Research Institute, Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and The University of Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies.

In Scotland, there are approximately 15,000 hill and upland farms with sheep, representing around 60% of the whole sector. Despite these part. Every opportunity to reduce the concentrate intake between lactations should be taken. Particular care should be taken with rams as they are usually fed concentrates more regularly and for more prolonged periods. The best way of managing this condition is to minimise long term concentrate use in the diet.

Treatment options exist but they are only effective in the early stages of the clinical disease and are not always effective. Contact your local vet for advice if you are concerned about copper poisoning.

If you would like a post mortem carried out on a suspect case, this can be undertaken at AFBI Stormont or Omagh laboratories but should be arranged via your local vet who can advise

New studentship at Moredun will work with farmers to investigate sheep parasite control

on carcase submissions. numbers, sheep production on these farms is becoming increasingly demanding for a number of reasons, including parasite infections.

The main parasites that affect grazing sheep and lambs are roundworms and liver fuke, which are usually controlled by the use of chemical wormers known as anthelmintics. However, both of these parasites have developed resistance to these drugs, threatening the ability of farmers to sustainably control these infections on their farm.

The aim of the project is to identify the scale of anthelmintic-related issues faced by hill and upland sheep farmers by gathering questionnaire information from both farmers and veterinary practices. In