Wales Farmer 20 NSA Cymru/Wales AGM NSA APRIL 2014 Builth Wells, February 18th
Fluke problem high on agenda for NSA Cymru
THE role of the National Sheep Association as the ‘guardian of sheep farm- ing’ was emphasised at the NSA Cymru/Wales AGM, held at the Royal Welsh
across.” NSA national chairman John
showground,
Builth Wells. NSA chief executive Phil
Stocker stressed that everything the organisation does is to make sheep farming attractive and val- ued. The NSA Next Generation project, dedicated to sheep farm- ers of the future, had a particu- larly important role in attracting young people to sheep farming and providing support. He emphasised the need to
communicate to the public why they should value sheep farming. People needed to better under- stand the crucial role played by sheep in maintaining the hills, particularly in the face of [jour- nalist and environmentalist] George Monbiot’s claim that sheep in the hills cause floods. Mr Stocker added: “Sheep
play a crucial part in maintain- ing the hills. We have a positive story to tell and we need to do a lot more to get the message
Geldard said the organisation had put a lot of work into strengthening the core values of serving the sheep farmer on the ground. A lot of effort had gone into creating a stronger structure at the office in Malvern, to increase membership and take the industry forward. The AGM was followed by a
liver fluke workshop that illus- trated how successfully coping with infection can mean the dif- ference between profit and loss. Specialist sheep vet and past president of the Sheep Veteri- nary Society, Kate Hovers, stressed the importance of breaking the cycle of infection, particularly with spring treat- ment of sheep, cattle, goats, alpacas and lamas. She stressed the importance of thinking ahead, of grazing man- agement, and of knowing whether there is resistance to tri- cobenzole. And she warned that while there are several classes of product that treat fluke, they don’t all kill the young fluke. She added: “This time of year we are mainly looking at adults
that are producing eggs so if you are thinking of these treatments, you just treat the adults. If you go into September, October time, most of your fluke are going to be immature. “Unfortunately the products
that treat immature fluke have all got 35/42 day plus withdrawals. So it really is thinking ahead and wondering about which grazing you can put lambs on, which ones really are ready for finish- ing, and treat with a product that will kill the immature.” She warned that none of the
flukicides have a residual effect. Animals can reinfect within hours if the pasture is contami- nated.
Aberystwyth University sci-
entist Dr Neil Mackintosh out- lined how a pilot scheme carried out on the Lampeter farm of NSA vice-president Margaret Dalton had shown the impor- tance of monitoring. He said faecal egg counting following heavy losses the previous year had helped to pinpoint when she should treat for fluke. He added: “What this infor-
mation has given Margaret is that what she was doing before
TOP TEAM: NSA Cymru/Wales officials.
was treating in the autumn. This has highlighted that she wasn’t dealing with contamination of the pasture in the spring.
“So by doing this monitoring
monthly we’ve managed to be able to conclude that she needs to be able to go in there (and
treat) in the spring.” Margaret Dalton said the pro-
gramme had also enabled her to see that sometimes fluke was present without being apparent.
Premier sheep event to focus on the future
SECURING the future of the UKsheep industry is the focus for the National Sheep Association’s (NSA) leading technical event NSASheep 2014. The biennial event promises to
be bigger and better than 2012, which attracted more than 11,000 people, and 250 exhibitors. Free technical seminars will be held throughout the day, where indus- try experts will informthe seminar audiences of the most up-to-date information and news on the hot topics being covered. “This year we have chosen to
focus on developing and securing a future for our industry,” said Phil Stocker, chief executive of the NSA. “We will be promoting our
NSA Next Generation project and our Young Shepherd of the Year competition as a way to show the opportunities the sheep industry can offer to young people as a source of vibrant career opportunities.” NSA Sheep 2014 is being held
on Wednesday, July 30th at The Three Counties Showground, Malvern,Worcestershire.
ENTRIES are open for an exciting newvideo competition to promote a career in sheep farming. The National Sheep Association competition is looking to find the
video that best promotes a career in sheep farming and encourages newentrants into the sector. “Living and working in the countryside is incredibly rewarding,
producing top quality lamb for British and international consumers, so this is a chance for sheep farmers to shout about it and encourage youngsters to consider it as a career. Showoffhow beautiful your corner of theUKis, howproud you are of your stock and why there are enough good things about your job to outweigh the days when it just never stops raining,”said Joanne Briggs,NSAcommunications manager. For a chance to win the top prize of £400, video footage of no
FOCUS ON THE FUTURE: NSA Sheep 2014 will focus on the future of the sheep industry, such as these 2012 young shepherd of the year winners.
For the latest Wales farming news:
walesfarmer.co.uk
longer than one hour, showcasing the sheep industry at its best should be submitted to
enquiries@nationalsheep.org.uk under the subject ‘Sheep Event Video Competition’. The closing date for entries is Friday,May 16th and the winners will be announced at NSASheep 2014. Tips, information and terms and conditions can be found at
www.sheepevent.org.uk.
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