SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS to control sheep scab will be delivered to Scottish farmers and crofters through new cartoon strips developed by the Moredun Foundation and industry bodies.

The highly contagious livestock disease costs Scotland around £9m per annum and has historically been difficult to diagnose until a sheep shows clinical signs such as itching and wool loss.

Scientists at the Moredun Research Institute have recently developed a blood test which can detect even sub-clinical cases of sheep scab, which is now commercially available through Biobest.

This is a huge leap forward for improving disease control, however project lead scientist, Stewart Burgess, explained that for the test to prove effective, there are key messages that Moredun are keen to deliver to farmers: “We have been developing this test for the last 10 years and have been pleased with its results on serum samples.

“The most important part is that the test can pick up the disease within two weeks, long before a sheep would present clinical signs. This will mean farmers can avoid using drugs if not necessary.

“For the test to prove most effective we urge farmers to randomly test at least 12 individuals from a flock to determine its disease status, regardless of size.

“However, reports from Biobest indicate that many clients still test individuals or low numbers of sheep, reducing the ability of the test to detect disease and resulting in mistaken ‘all-clears’.

“The test can also be used to target treatments, promoting the responsible use of medicines and reducing over-use of endectocides – slowing development of resistance.”

In order to help farmers make informed decisions as to how to best apply the test, a series of five engaging cartoons have been released, each covering an aspect of best practice use of the sheep scab blood test.

The first cartoon titled ‘a test is best’, describes exactly how the blood test works through identifying antibodies produced in response to a protein in the sheep scab mite faeces.

The second cartoon called ‘invest in the test’, describes the financial gain in testing sheep as opposed to treating an entire flock, giving a comparison of £160 for testing 12 individuals including vet fees as opposed to £1100 for treating a flock of 500 sheep.

The third design labelled ‘who let the tups out’, delivers a key biosecurity message about bringing animals on to the farm, which can be a particular issue when new tups are bought in.

It advised farmers to isolate new tups for at least two weeks, carry out the test and when the results are clear they can be turned out with the ewes.

The fourth cartoon, called ‘a race to the finish’, details the issue of store lambs coming in to be finished and the importance of testing for sheep scab, so if treatment is needed there is plenty of time for the withdrawal period to pass.

The final design ‘it is good to talk about scab’, looks at the need for coordinated treatments and the importance of talking with neighbours and sharing an effective biosecurity plan.