Tackling sheep scab in Northern Ireland

Paul Crawford, a Co. Antrim veterinarian and sheep farmer, who is also the chairman of the Northern Ireland Sheep Scab Group, joins us on the latest OviCast podcast to discuss sheep scab.

Paul starts by explaining what causes sheep scab, the clinical symptoms and how to diagnose it in flocks. We discuss the routes of transmission and risk factors for the spread of mites before Paul takes us through the treatment options and the challenge of developing resistance to some of these, highlighting the importance of best practice. 

We discuss some of the findings from his Ph.D. studies on the numbers of outbreaks, disease awareness and treatment in practice in Northern Irish flocks. Finally, Paul highlights a new project that launched last year to tackle the issue on farms.

For more information from the OviCast podcast, visit the show page.