NSA, Moredun and SRUC offer sheep Iceberg disease advice via webinar

30^th March 2020

Having unfortunately been forced to cancel a series of events that would offer advice to sheep farmers on ‘Iceberg’ diseases’ alongside the Moredun Research Institute and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), the National Sheep Association (NSA) will now deliver the information to interested parties in the comfort and safety of their own homes.

Infectious conditions that are classed as ‘Iceberg diseases’ include Border disease, Caseous Lymphadenitis (CLA), Johne’s disease and Ovine Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma (OPA) and despite their increasing significance, many sheep farmers remain quite unaware of the real impact they can have on sheep flocks.

A team from NSA, Moredun and SRUC had planned to travel the length and breadth of the country to inform on the risks posed by these often unnoticed, but sometimes devastating diseases but will now turn to the internet to deliver these important messages.

NSA Chief Executive Phil Stocker says: “As the ongoing Coronavirus crisis forces more of us to stay home NSA wants to ensure we can support our members and the wider sheep sector in providing information that will help to protect the health of the UK’s sheep flocks and aid sheep farmers in moving their enterprises forward.

“Many farming organisations already use webinars very successfully in delivering information and we hope that this meeting on the important subject of Iceberg diseases will be popular with sheep farmers that would have ordinarily joined us in our face to face meetings.”

Dr Beth Wells, Knowledge Exchange Specialist at Moredun added: “We welcome this initiative from NSA and are delighted to be taking part in the “Iceberg Diseases” webinars, which is a very important topic to sheep farmers. Moredun has active research teams working in both OPA and Johne’s and this is a great opportunity for the scientists involved to discuss their recent findings and how to best control these diseases in your flocks, or even better, how to keep them out!”

NSA, Moredun and SRUC will deliver the webinars on three dates from the end of April until the middle of May. Sheep farmers and others interested in joining the webinars can register ahead of the sessions using the links provided below:

• Register for the NSA webinar on Thursday 30th April from 12 noon until 1.30pm here.
• Register here for the NSA webinar on Wednesday 13th May from 7.00pm to 8.30pm.
• Register here for the NSA webinar on Wednesday 20th May from 8.30am until 10.00am

An agenda for the webinar can be downloaded from the NSA website. For help and advice on how to access the webinar please contact NSA Activities and Campaigns Officer, Chris Adamson on 07930225150 or email chris@nationalsheep.org.uk.