Sheep to take centre stage at upcoming Banff and Buchan Monitor Farm meeting

Worm control, anthelmintic resistance, ewe and tup health, lamb performance and sheep sales will all feature at the Banff and Buchan Monitor Farm Sheep Special Open day on Tuesday 30 September from 1.45-5pm.

Booking is now open for the meeting at Bruce Irvine’s Sauchentree Farm, New Aberdour. Attendees will be discussing preparation for autumn prime lamb sales and the importance of tup and ewe health as the North-East heads towards major lamb sales and tupping time.

Bruce will share performance data from this year’s lamb crop. With 400 ewes achieving 168% lambs to weaning from scanning figures of 175% and average daily live weight gains from weaning of 290g/day, Bruce’s figures will encourage discussion around lamb growth rates and sale readiness. He’ll outline his tupping preparations, offering a practical look at how he’s setting up for the breeding season ahead

Drawing on his own shepherding experience at Ranna Farm, Tarland, Ross Williams, Norvite commercial director will emphasise the importance of targeted nutrition to support sale weights and maximise fertility when tups go out and throughout the winter period.

Parasite control will take centre stage in the health discussions. Ewan Jamieson, vet director at Meadows Vets will present findings from Bruce’s summer worming strategy and share concerning data he’s collected from local farms - one wormer showing only 12% efficacy. His insights will underscore the growing challenge of wormer resistance in the region and the need for planned and informed worming practice.

Leading on from this, Dr Eilidh Gospel, registered animal medicine advisor and specialist in worm egg counts will discuss the implications for lamb performance and ongoing control. She will provide a free worm egg count service, funded by Monitor Farm Scotland, for the first 35 attendees bringing dung samples (see below for specific instructions).

Scotch Lamb is on the menu at the meeting’s close, so booking is essential. Car parking is limited, so car share if possible, and for biosecurity please ensure vehicles, clothing and footwear are clean before attending. No dogs are permitted. Please wear suitable outdoor clothing and sturdy/waterproof footwear.

Peter Beattie, Monitor Farm regional adviser said: “For any sheep keepers, this will be a very practical discussion meeting, and with some worrying data on wormer efficacy, it’s brilliant to be able to offer free worm egg counts to the first 35 attendees bringing samples to the meeting.”

• Banff and Buchan Monitor Farm sheep special open meeting on Tuesday 30 September, from 1.45pm-5pm at Sauchentree Farm, New Aberdour, Fraserburgh, AB43 7LN. Book here: https://bit.ly/SheepSpecial

Sampling instructions for free testing at Monitor Farm Scotland ‘Sheep Special’

• Collect ten individual fresh lamb dung samples.
• Lambs should be healthy and on grass or getting good feed.
• Hold your group of at least 10 lambs in a field corner for a few minutes, until they start to poo.
• Collect 10 individual fresh dung samples from the group and wear gloves!
• The dung should be fresh, soft and not dry.
• Put the 10 dung samples in a single air-tight bag (e.g. freezer bags/gripseal bags/dog poo bag) or in a clean pot with a lid.
• Write, stick or staple your name, address and the name of the lamb group or the field on the bag.
• Keep the sample in a fridge or collect on the day.
• Keep out of direct sunlight.
• Bring it along to Eilidh Gospel at the Sheep Special Monitor Farm Meeting at Sauchentree on the 30 September.
• The sample will be tested to give you a worm egg count within a week.
• If samples report a high egg count, Eilidh will advise on a treatment.