SCOPS Podcast

What is the nematodirus hatching forecast and what changes have been made in 2026?

Webinar https://youtu.be/7bMiTIt7KMs?si=ZTmJu-AwLOBC2mmY

SCOPS Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/@scopsvideos8636/videos

Forecast on the website https://www.scops.org.uk/forecasts/nematodirus-forecast/

For more information on SCOPS visit www.scops.org.uk

For our podcast disclaimer see here - scops.org.uk/podcasts/

Host: Ben Eagle 

Co-host: Nerys Wright

Guests: Hannah Vineer, Fiona Lovatt, Clare Wise

Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss upcoming episodes on parasite control, diagnostics, and sustainable sheep health.

We would like to thank Bimeda for their support of this podcast.

For more information on SCOPS visit www.scops.org.uk

For our podcast disclaimer see here - scops.org.uk/podcasts/

Host: Ben Eagle 

Co-host: Lesley Stubbings

Guests: Will Allman, Andrew Pattison, Chloe Partridge

Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss upcoming episodes on parasite control, diagnostics, and sustainable sheep health.

This episode is supported by: Boehringer Ingelheim; Elanco; Norbrook; Zoetis 

As the trend towards drier, hotter summers and warmer, wetter winters continues, the liver fluke season is shifting, and the time when grazing animals are picking up liver fluke off pasture is tending to be later but also extremely variable between farms.

Lesley and guests discuss how farmers and their vets can use antibody detection early in the liver fluke ‘season’ to pinpoint when (or if) animals have become infected and time any treatment accurately.

Antibodies can be detected from as early as two weeks post infection while faecal based coproantigen or egg detection tests are useful much later in the season when the fluke are more mature inside the animal.

Lesley is joined by Prof. Diana Williams, University of Liverpool, Vet Phillipa Page from Flock Health Ltd and farmer Michael Rhodes from Lancaster. The panel discuss how to use antibody testing and the new Lateral Flow Test (LFT) developed by University of Liverpool which just requires a drop of blood and can be done quickly on farm.

For more information on SCOPS visit www.scops.org.uk

For our podcast disclaimer see here - scops.org.uk/podcasts/

Host: Ben Eagle 

Co-host: Lesley Stubbings

Guests: Prof Diana Williams, Phillipa Page, Michael Rhodes. 

Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss upcoming episodes on parasite control, diagnostics, and sustainable sheep health.

This episode is supported by: Boehringer Ingelheim; Elanco; Norbrook; Zoetis 

For more information on SCOPS visit www.scops.org.uk

For our podcast disclaimer see here - scops.org.uk/podcasts/

Host: Ben Eagle 

Co-host: Nerys Wright

Guests: Rebecca Mearns, Olly Matthews, Robert Spink.

Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss upcoming episodes on parasite control, diagnostics, and sustainable sheep health.

This episode is supported by: Boehringer Ingelheim; Elanco; Norbrook; Zoetis 

For more information on SCOPS visit www.scops.org.uk

For our podcast disclaimer see here - scops.org.uk/podcasts/

Host: Ben Eagle 

Co-host: Nerys Wright

Guests: Jen Oglesby, Will Roobottom, Kaz Strycharczyk

This is just the start of Series 3 — make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss upcoming episodes on parasite control, diagnostics, and sustainable sheep health.

This episode is supported by: Boehringer Ingelheim; Elanco; Norbrook; Zoetis 

Back in series 1 we discussed Liver Fluke but today we’re going to dive into the subject in more detail and talk about how to approach a season where the risk of liver fluke is predicted to be high. In the past many farmers would have heard the risk is high and simply reached for the drench gun - today we want to explore why that is no longer an effective option and talk about the available alternatives. 

Host Ben Eagle is joined by Lesley Stubbings, Independent Consultant working with SCOPS. We are also joined by John Graham-Brown from the University of Liverpool, Joe Angell a vet from Wern Vets in North Wales and farmer Alex Crossley. 

Useful Links:

https://www.nadis.org.uk/parasite-forecast.aspx

https://www.scops.org.uk/internal-parasites/liver-fluke/

Testing for liver fluke: A joint SCOPS and COWS webinar to introduce the new lateral flow test | Webinars | National Sheep Association

Liver Fluke Rapid Antibody Test | Norbrook Laboratories

Lack of efficacy of triclabendazole against Fasciola hepatica is present on sheep farms in three regions of England, and Wales - Kamaludeen - 2019 - Veterinary Record - Wiley Online Library

In this episode we are talking about multi-anthelmintic resistance and what to do if and when this happens. You have probably heard a lot about increasing resistance to anthelmintics in recent years and there are now reports that worms on some sheep farms have resistance to more than one class of wormer. So in this episode we’ll be asking what this really means. 

Ben's co-host is Dr David Bartley, who is a Principal Investigator in the Disease Control Division of Moredun Research Institute. Guests include vet Emily Gascoigne who is based in Dorset and David Cotterell, the farm manager at Kingston Maurward College in Dorchester. The panel tell us what they have learned when it comes to tackling multi anthelmintic resistance on farms and how to maintain effective worm control. 

For more information on SCOPS visit www.scops.org.uk

For our podcast disclaimer see here - scops.org.uk/podcasts/

Host: Ben Eagle 

Co-host: Dr David Bartley (Moredun Research Institute)

Guests: Emily Gascoigne (vet, Dorset); David Cotterell (farm manager, Dorset)

In this episode we are talking about incorporating a Group 4 or 5 wormer as a mid to late season dose for your lambs. We’ll discuss when and how they can be best used to preserve the efficacy of all the wormer groups and why farmers shouldn’t ‘wait’ to use them. 

For more information on SCOPS visit www.scops.org.uk

For our podcast disclaimer see here - scops.org.uk/podcasts/

Host: Ben Eagle 

Co-host: Lesley Stubbings (sheep consultant)

Guests: Nerys Wright (sheep consultant), Chris Elkington (sheep farmer, Lincolnshire) and Joe Henry (vet, Northumberland)

In this episode we are talking about quarantine procedures and how you can make simple recommendations daily reality. Quarantine and associated treatments are vital components in maintaining flock health – preventing parasites and other diseases from being imported into the home flock – and there’s a long list of diseases and conditions that can be prevented through quarantine procedure. So why is it that when surveys are carried out so few farmers actually seem to employ any quarantine routine?  

For more information on SCOPS visit www.scops.org.uk

For our podcast disclaimer see here - scops.org.uk/podcasts/

Host: Ben Eagle 

Co-host: Nerys Wright (sheep consultant)

Guests: Bryan and Liz Griffiths (farmer in north Devon); Davinia Hinde (vet in Yorkshire)

In this episode we talk about environmental impacts and how acting on the SCOPS principles can help to reduce the impact of medicine use on the environment. We ask what it means in practice for parasite control in sheep and cattle, how achievable it is and what tools there are to enable it?

For more information on SCOPS visit www.scops.org.uk

For our podcast disclaimer see here - scops.org.uk/podcasts/

Host: Ben Eagle 

Co-host: Dr Philip Skuce (Moredun Research Institute)

Guests: Rob Howe  (vet); Rich Thomas (mixed farmer from Herefordshire)