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Gene map to aid understanding of sheep health
Rambouillet sheep are known for their high-quality fleece and for being able to live in harsh conditions.

Map is one of the highest resolutions in a livestock species to date.

Scientists at the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute have built a genetic map of sheep that could aid understanding of key traits liked to health and food production.

The map, published in the journal Frontiers in Genetics, is one of the highest resolutions in a livestock species to date and can be used for studies into sheep health, welfare nutrition, resilience and productivity.

Researchers say that outcomes from the project could also be used to investigate how specific regions of the sheep’s genetic makeup affect their physiological and physical characteristics.
The study was conducted in collaboration with an international team, as part of the Ovine Functional Annotation of Animal Genomes (FAANG) project.

Dr Emily Clark from the Roslin Institute, said: “Sheep are hugely important farmed animals, providing a key global source of meat and fibre. The high-resolution annotation of transcription start sites in the genome that we have generated for the Ovine FAANG project will give scientists a better map of the genome upon which to base their studies.”

The map was built from a single Rambouillet sheep, a breed known for its high-quality fleece and for being able to live in harsh conditions.  Using a technique called ‘Cap Analysis Gene Expression’ (CAGE) sequencing, researchers were able to identify points in the genome where the process of switching on genes starts – known as transcription start sites.

Dr Brenda Murdoch, coordinator of the Ovine FAANG Project, University of Idaho, explained: “This research identifies the location and regulatory elements of genes that control economically important traits like health, meat and wool quality in sheep. It is this type of information that is essential to help breeding programmes select and predict traits to improve the sustainability and productivity of this globally important species."

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Antibiotic Amnesty survey opens

News Story 1
 The Responsible Use of Medicines Alliance - Companion Animal and Equine (RUMA - CA&E) has launched a survey which seeks to measure the success of this year's Antibiotic Amnesty campaign.

Its results will help the group to calculate how many unused or out-of-date antibiotics were returned as part of the campaign throughout November. Practices are also asked how they engaged with clients to raise awareness of the issue.

Participating practices can enter a prize draw to win up to 100 in vouchers for taking part. Further prizes from BSAVA and Webinar Vet will be available for practices with the best input.

The survey takes a few minutes to complete and will be running throughout December. It can be accessed via this link

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NSA survey investigates sheep worrying

The National Sheep Association (NSA) has launched its latest survey to better understand the severity of sheep worrying in the UK.

The survey will be open until Friday, 21 February 2025. UK sheep farmers are invited to share their experiences of sheep worrying by dogs and its impact on the industry.

NSA has been gathering information about sheep worrying for over 10 years as part of its campaign to raise awareness of incidents and produce new ways of educating the public.

Sheep worrying, often caused by dogs being loose near fields, can result in physical injury, miscarriage and death of animals affected.

The results of the survey will be shared with interested parties, including the UK press, before spring and ahead of lambing season next year.

For more information, or to complete the survey, visit NSA's website.