Best practices on spent sheep dip and footbath solutions

Declan Byrne, Drystock Advisor, Teagasc Tinahely, discusses the importance of best practices for sheep dipping to eliminate parasites while also protecting waterways from contamination.

The practice of sheep dipping either during summer or winter or both is an important annual practice on sheep farms throughout the country. Sheep dipping products containing chemical compounds such as organophosphates (OP’s) and cypermethrin are extremely effective in their jobs of eliminating and preventing a number of serious sheep ectoparasites, namely blow fly (bluebottle) strike, lice, keds, ticks and sheep scab. Parasites such as bluebottles are insects and the sheep dipping products used are called insecticides, which effectively target and kill their target organism.

Best practice when using sheep dips have gained increased attention in recent times, primarily due to active ingredients such as cypermethrin been detected in our waterways. When cypermethrin is detected in our streams and rivers, we can conclude that the aquatic living insects will have been eliminated. This has serious consequences for the health of other species (fish, birds, small mammals, humans) that are reliant on aquatic insects as part of the overall food chain.

So before you go organising your next sheep dipping day, please follow the best practice sheep dipping guidelines with the protection of water in mind.

1. Make sure you pick a dry, sunny day, with relatively good drying conditions.
2. Identify your holding field/ paddock for your sheep after dipping, there should be no open drain or watercourse adjacent to this area
3. Check that your tank is sound and leak-proof, with no structural cracks or defects.
4. Ewes should be allowed to stand for 10-15 minutes in the adjoining drip pen when they emerge from the dipping tank, to allow dripping solution funnel back to the tank. This should be a concreted area.
5. Sheep should be kept in the holding field/paddock for at least 24 hours to make sure that they dry effectively, so to prevent any chance of any sheep dip product ending up in a drain or watercourse.
6. After dipping - wash and brush the dung from the adjoining drip pen stand thoroughly to ensure that no debris including wool enter any drain or waterbody. The brush used should be soaked in water a number of times and rinsed well.
7. Empty dip containers and opening caps/ foil should be safely disposed of after use.
8. Spent sheep dip should be mixed 1:3 parts either with slurry or water and land spread by a tanker at the rate not exceeding 1760 gals/ acre (20’000l per Ha.).
9. In no circumstances should spent dip be disposed of if there is no facility or slurry tanker available to spread the dip.
10. These recommendations are also relatable to pour-ons which use active ingredients such as cypermethrin. Pour-ons when sprayed on fleece should be allowed to dry effectively before allowing sheep go back to open hill or mountainous areas or any lowland areas where watercourses are present. As with dipping, sheep should be kept in the holding field/paddock for at least 24 hours before return to hill or areas containing watercourses.
11. Injectable products to control ectoparasites should be considered where dipping is not feasible. Please check and consult with your local veterinary practitioner for advice.
12. Mobile spraying or dipping is an option and the same principles above apply.
13. Careful disposal of spent foot bath solution is also extremely important, involving either formalin, copper sulphate or zinc sulphate. Products must be disposed of according to the data sheet.