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Poultry red mites study receives funding boost
The project has the potential to reduce the number of experimental hens used in poultry red mite colony maintenance.
Novel method could see number of donor hens reduce by 90 per cent.

Researchers at the Moredun Research Institute have been awarded just shy of half a million pounds to develop a novel way of studying poultry red mites.

Poultry red mites are a major economic and animal welfare issue for the international egg industry, and researchers across the globe are working to develop new methods of control. To supply mites for any research programme, however, donor hens must be infested with the parasite to provide sufficient numbers of mites for studies.

Moredun will use the £483,000 grant to establish a laboratory colony of red mites and develop a new feeding method which removes the need to use infested hens. The money was awarded by the National Centre Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs).

Study co-author, Dr Francesca Nunn, said: “This is an exciting project that not only has the potential to seriously reduce the numbers of experimental hens used in poultry red mite colony maintenance, but also increase our understanding of the feeding behaviour and population dynamics that will be greatly useful in future control strategies against this important parasite.”

Preliminary studies by Moredun found that poultry red mites feed on goose blood through a disposable synthetic skin-like membrane. Researchers say that live geese are particularly suited to be blood donors for this task because they can supply around 30 times more blood than hens in a single donation.

Using this new method, Moredun believes that the number of hens used for the maintenance of poultry red mites could be reduced by as much as 90 per cent per year. Furthermore, by taking away the need for hens to be continuously infested with the parasites, welfare standards will increase.

Dr Alasdair Nisbet, head of vaccine and diagnostic development and principal investigator of the study says: “I’m delighted to be able to continue our work on reducing the numbers of hens used for poultry red mite research and refining our approaches in this area in partnership with the NC3Rs. We look forward to another three years of a high level of impact in these areas.”

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Reporting service for dead wild birds updated

News Story 1
 The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has updated its online reporting service for dead wild birds.

The new version allows those reporting a dead bird to drop a pin on a map when reporting the location. It also includes a wider range of wild bird species groups to select from when describing the bird.

The online service, which helps APHA to monitor the spread of diseases such as avian influenza, can be accessed here. 

Click here for more...
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NI chief vet urges bluetongue vigilance

Northern Ireland's chief veterinary officer (CVO) has urged farmers to be vigilant for signs of bluetongue, after the Animal and Plant Health Agency warned there was a very high probability of further cases in Great Britain.

There have been 126 confirmed cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3 in England since November 2023, with no cases reported in Northern Ireland. The movement of live ruminants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is currently suspended.

According to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), the virus is most likely to enter Northern Ireland through infected animals or germplasm (semen or ova) being imported.

Brian Dooher, Northern Ireland's CVO, said: "Surveillance for this disease within Northern Ireland has been increased to assist with detection at the earliest opportunity which will facilitate more effective control measures."

Farmers should report any suspicions of the disease to their private veterinary practitioner, the DAERA Helpline on 0300 200 7840 or their local DAERA Direct Veterinary Office.