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Project to tackle sheep scab in Northern Ireland
All on board: Members of The Northern Ireland Sheep Scab Group with industry partners at the official launch of the project.

The disease has plagued the sheep farming community for decades.

The Moredun Research Institute has announced a 'groundbreaking' £220,00 project to tackle sheep scab in Northern Ireland.

Starting in July, the project will see farmers, vets, and other industry professionals join forces to tackle this devastating disease.

It follows several years of industry-led activity spearheaded by the Northern Ireland Sheep Scab Group, who's main activity is to consider how to achieve better control of the disease. The group identified lack of research in the field as one of the main stumbling blocks.

The project will be based on Moredun's experience in its current sheep scab control project, which aims to improve the control of the diease by focusing on clusters of farmers within three hotspot regions of England. 

The NI project will focus on four main aspects that will inform future research, including:

Farmer meetings: A series of events bringing farmers and vets together to open discussions involving sharing knowledge and concerns about sheep scab. 
Funded vet meetings: During which practitioners will be trained to conduct on-farm visits raising awareness of best practice control for sheep scab.
On-farm visits: Where vets will be able to diagnose and treat scab, gathering information about the outbreak and addressing other concerns about flock-health. 
Data collection and analysis: Focussing on the prevalence and distribution of scab, evaluating the costs to the economy, welfare and the environment. 

Sheep scab has plagued the sheep farming community and their flocks for decades. 
It is currently a notifiable disease in NI but, until now, very little research has been conducted into how it spreads and how it can be eradicated.

Project lead Dr Stewart Burgess, an expert on sheep scab, commented: “We aim to get an honest picture of how scab is perceived and dealt with by farmers and vets currently and what needs to be done to change attitudes to control, ensuring the tools available are being used by all parties to ensure flocks are scab free now and in the future.’’

The project is being funded by The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) as part of its Endemic Diseases of Livestock Initiative.

Image (C) Moredun Research Institute.

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.