Vaccination scheme halves sheep lameness in Wales
The project involved just under 6,000 ewes.
A sheep vaccination project has more than halved sheep lameness across ten farms in Wales.
The scheme, which involved MSD Animal Health, explored the benefit of vaccinating against endemic diseases, after NOAH released its Category One Livestock Vaccination Guidelines.
Launched in 2022, the project aimed to cut flock lameness towards the Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FACW) target of two per cent. It would also reduce antimicrobial use, reducing the risk of antimicrobial resistance.
The project involved just under 6,000 ewes, living in hill, upland and lowland systems.
During the project, a Five Point Plan was applied to the ewes – treat, cull, avoid, quarantine and vaccinate. Farms were also monitored using MSD Animal Health’s sheep lameness control planner.
As a result of the plan, average flock lameness fell from 6.3 per cent to 2.7 per cent.
Sonja van Dijk, from MSD Animal Health, said: “The plan provides a clear framework for tackling lameness and, when implemented properly, builds resilience, reduces infection pressure and improves immunity,
“All ten farms improved their lameness control scores by 94%, rising from 12 to 23 out of 25 — and that translated directly into healthier sheep and financial gains.”
Lameness was estimated to be costing the ten farms a collective £84,000 in lost productivity and medicine. By 2025, this had fallen to £30,000.
In one participating farm, owned by Gerwyn Evans, lameness prevalence dropped from 8.8 per cent in 2022 to 0.8 per cent at the end of 2024. He is now stricter on culling repeat offenders and quarantines all incoming rams for at least four weeks.
Mr Evans said: “We’re delighted that lameness has fallen to such a manageable level, especially through some of the wettest weather we’ve ever had,
“This has always been our biggest flock health challenge — and our daughters were spending hours catching and treating lame sheep. But being part of the project helped us really focus on the issue. The difference has been transformative.”
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