Following a recent announcement, sheep farmers, contractors and prescribers have been advised to plunge dip their flocks to treat scab over any other treatment.
The Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep (SCOPS) group has launched a campaign this week reminding sheep farmers, contractors and prescribers that Organophosphate (OP) can only be used as a plunge dip.
Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) fully supports the recent announcement, and as part of the Stoc+, which is an animal health project that works with farmers across Wales to work closely with their vets on pro-active animal health planning, would like to encourage farmers to follow SCOPS’ guidance.
Lesley Stubbings of SCOPS said: “As we go into autumn and winter the number of cases of sheep scab will increase. We must make sure that when OP is used that it is fully effective, and the only way to achieve that is with a plunge dip.”
In 2018 cases of resistance in sheep scab mites to the injectable products were confirmed. Since then there has been an increase in the number of flocks using OP, which once used correctly will remove resistant mites from a flock.
“However, it is clear that despite warnings to the contrary, there are still instances where farmers being sold OP and are then using showers, jetters or sprayers to apply the product to sheep” said Lesley. “This results in the survival of some mites, leaving sheep infested and able to spread scab when apparently they have been treated. Even more worrying is the risk that this sub-lethal exposure to a treatment will result in the development of mites that are resistant to OP, which is our last line of defence.” she adds
Ian Rickman, a Stoc+ farmer from Llandeilo runs 400 ewes and 100 ewe lamb replacements has been plunge dipping his flock for a number of years.
“Over the summer months, the ewes graze on the Black Mountain and I gather them from the hill late September/October. As part of the farm’s biosecurity protocol, I plunge dip all of the ewes on their return from common grazing using a mobile dipper prior to tupping."
“Dipping as soon as the ewes return to the farm prevents scab from being passed on to other sheep on the farm. I find that dipping is the most effective way of preventing this.”
Further advice and information about plunge dipping sheep can be found at www.scops.org.uk.
HCC’s Stoc+ project is one of three 5-year projects in the Red Meat Development Programme which is funded by the Welsh Government Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government.