In this issue
The Lambing Contract
Johnes Disease – The Next Public Health Scare?
TB Testing Reminder.
Worming Sheep
Janet Requests

TOP
The Lambing Contract

Last year, a dozen clients took part in our first lambing contract and it was so successful that we’re running the contract again this year, the terms of which are:-

TOP
Johnes Disease – The Next Public Health Scare?

Many of you will have seen cases of either suspected or confirmed Johnes disease in your herd. The laboratory at Penrith diagnosed over twenty cases last month. Many more cattle will be culled without testing if they are showing the typical symptoms of watery scour and weight loss while remaining bright and eating.

Animals are most susceptible to infection as young calves. They pick up the bacteria ( Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis ) across the placenta, via faeces or from colostrum and milk. There is then a long gap, often of several years, before they develop diarrhoea. A reduced milk yield will be seen in the lactation before this.

Sheep can also suffer from Johnes disease, presenting as wasting rather than scour.The bacteria has been suspected of having a role in Crohn's disease in people. A study has now shown it to be present in the blood of some affected people.

How would you fare if, in the future, the milk companies decided to collect only from John's free herds or to pay a premium for such milk? Eliminating it from a herd would involve changes in calf and slurry management as well as blood testing adult cattle. Unfortunately, until scour develops, sampling will only pick up 50% of infected animals. The extended incubation period means that any positives are likely to be the tip of an iceberg. A long-term commitment would be needed to gain disease-free status. Starting now might pay dividends in the future.

If your TB test due date is on or after the first of February 2005 then you need to be thinking about arranging it now. The rules are changing. Tests need to be completed and the paperwork with DEFRA sometime in the three months preceding your due date. ( Previously it was the three months after )

TOP
Worming Sheep

Lambing time will soon be on us (it already is for some). Many of you are used to vaccinating with Heptavac P before lambing but remember that there are advantages to worming ewes before or at lambing time.

Adult sheep pick up worms all year round but few develop into egg producing adults. The worms sit in the gut wall in a state of suspended animation. This continues until the month before and shortly after lambing. The ewe’s immunity weakens as a normal part of late pregnancy. This allows the dormant worms to develop to adults and release masses of eggs which are deposited on the pasture ready to infect this year’s crop of lambs.

Worming the ewes in late pregnancy reduces the need to treat lambs later and therefore is cost effective. Bearing in mind that there is a high incidence of worm resistance to white drenches, we recommend you use Cydectin or Dectomax.

TOP

PDF
This newsletter is also available as a PDF file Click here