The Irish Sheep Shearers Association (ISSA) has been given the green light for its members to carry out shearing.

ISSA chair Roy Collier welcomed the news and said the level of interest from farmers in getting sheep shorn was increasing by the day.

He said that clarification is being sent to all members, along with protocols that should be put in place.

These were covered in detail in this week’s paper.

Scald in lambs

Meanwhile, there are more reports of lambs with scald. This is not surprising given how dry the weather has become and the resultant increase in grass dry matter.

The ailment is caused by bacteria present in soil and faeces with infection establishing through damaged skin.

It can be identified by a pink-red inflammation between the hoof claws with a white or grey paste like scum on the surface.

Early intervention is important and will greatly cut down on the risk of an outbreak occurring

If untreated, it can progress to footrot. Footbathing or the application of an appropriate foot spray will be sufficient to treat and keep on top of infection.

Copper and zinc sulphate remain the two most common products used and should be diluted at a rate of 10%, while care should be taken when using formalin with dilution rates of 3% to 5% recommended.

Spot treatment

Spot treatment can also be carried out if required using aerosol sprays or a solution made up for applying. Early intervention is important and will greatly cut down on the risk of an outbreak occurring.

Running sheep through a footbath after routine handling will help to keep on top of the problem. It may be beneficial to run ewes and lambs through the race first where a race in a footbath is being used to get the lambs accustomed to moving through the race.