As we head into peak lambing season we also start to encounter flock health issues on farms and on this week’s OviCast is Dr Shane Mc McGettrick of the Department of Agriculture Regional Veterinary Lab (RVL) in Sligo to discuss this issue in more detail.

Shane starts by encouraging farmers to submit samples where they encounter problems with abortions or increased mortality this spring and to identify the cause and start to address the issue.

Shane describes the common issues they see in the lab at this stage of the season and takes us through the submission procedure for samples and what is required as well as discussing the timeline from submission of samples until results are available.

As some of the conditions that cause issues on farms are zoonotic, particularly in the case of a number of the abortive agents, Shane highlights why we need to take extra care to protect human health.

He also discusses why aborted ewes should be isolated form the main flocks early to minimise spread and finally, he urges caution when considering purchasing foster ewes and introducing them to the flock during this busy period.

For more episodes from the OviCast podcast, visit the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast