External parasite issues

The adverse weather and variable ground conditions are showing up external parasite issues such as sheep scab/lice quicker on many farms due to quicker staining of fleeces.

Quick intervention will help get on top of issues before they escalate. This is not straightforward at present for some flocks in the midst of breeding, but it is important that options are assessed and acted upon.

The starting point is determining the cause of sheep scratching. Sheep scab and lice are the main perpetrators but other issues such as bacterial or fungal skin infections (see www.farmersjournal.ie for more) have also raised their head in recent years due in part to changing weather patterns.

With regards to scab and lice, the latter may be easier to identify. There are typically no major signs of wool loss or secondary infections with lice unless sheep have been scratching excessively and skin has been damaged.

Lice can be seen by the naked eye, and on parting the wool they can be seen moving. While difficult to distinguish without good eyesight or using magnification the parasite is similar in shape to a wasp and is a yellow or pale brown colour.

Identifying sheep scab parasites is much more challenging, as mites are tiny and barely visible to the naked eye. Your vet will be able to take skin scrapings to examine. This is a useful process, as there are also other mites which may be present that can be detected.

The mites are brown in colour with a round shape. They feed on the flesh, so are typically found at skin level rather than moving through the wool. Scabby lesions and wool loss are characteristic signs.

Plunge dipping will address all external parasites, so identifying what external parasites are present is not as important. Some pour-on products target lice, while sheep scab can be addressed with injectables where dipping is not an option.

Take note to select products carefully, as some require retreatment while others require a higher dosage if targeting sheep scab in a single treatment. Take note also of the significant differences in withdrawal dates where treating sheep destined for slaughter.

LambPlus membership

The deadline to apply for membership for the 2023 LambPlus scheme operated by Sheep Ireland is 1 December 2022.

Sheep Ireland are welcoming interest from hill sheep breeds and breeds not currently participating in light of the measure being introduced in the impending Sheep Improvement Scheme requiring participants to purchase genotyped rams.

Breeders can sign up at www.sheep.ie or contact 023 8820451 or email query@sheep.ie for more information. The cost of membership is €50 or €100 for pedigree breeders while there is no fee for commercial farmers to avail of the Sheep Ireland performance recording programme.

Extra CAP meeting

An extra meeting has been added to the Irish Farmers Journal CAP Information Series supported by AIB and the Department of Agriculture.

The meeting takes place on Wednesday 23 November in the Rose Hotel, Tralee, Co Kerry and is free to attend (register at www.ifj.ie/register). Topics covered include the full suite of changes coming under the CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027 with presentations and a Q&A with Department of Agriculture specialists.