Hill Sheep Conference

Teagasc are hosting a National Hill Sheep Conference on February 19^th 2019. The conference will be held in the Glendalough Hotel, Gelendalough, Co Wicklow on Tuesday 29^th January. There will be three papers presented at the conference including a panel discussion, highlighting relevant and topical areas of interest to the Irish Hill sheep farming sector. This year the National Hill Sheep Conference will begin at 6pm sharp. It is a Department of Agriculture KT approved event and sign in will commence from 5:30pm and finish at 7pm.

The speakers for the national hill sheep conference 2019 are as follows:

Peter Bates, Veterinary Entomologist, UK

Dr. Peter Bates is a veterinary entomologist based in the United Kingdom. In an era where the incidence of antimicrobial resistance is increasing Peter will outline the main facts associated with sheep scab and the impact of external parasites on a sheep population.  Peter will also discuss the importance of sheep dipping and why having a responsible prevention and control strategy in place against external parasites is of critical importance.

Bobby Lennox, Hill Sheep Farmer, Scotland

Bobby Lennox and his wife Anne are hill sheep farmers located on the shores of Lock Lohmond in Scotland. The have a 4000 acre hill sheep farm carrying 1500 ewes and 30 suckling cows. Bobby is a member of the maternal sheep breeders group in the UK. He is an advocate of performance recording and operates a fully recorded Blackface flock.

Panel Discussion - Linking the market

This year at the national hill sheep conference the final section of the night will be devoted to a panel discussion which will be led by Darren Carty, Irish Farmers Journal. The discussion will involve three industry stakeholders:

• Dan McCarthy, Manager, Kenmare Mart, Co. Kerry
• Brendan Joyce, Hill sheep farmer, Maam Cross, Co. Galway
• James Smyth, Irish Country Meats

Each of the three speakers will give an overview of their current position within the industry and outline the key challenges and opportunities that see within the hill sheep sector going forward.