SCOPS is an industry led group that works in the interest of the UK sheep industry. It recognises that, left unchecked, anthelmintic resistance is one of the biggest challenges to the future health and profitability of the sector.
The SCOPS group was formed to develop sustainable strategies for parasite control in sheep, facilitate and oversee the delivery of these recommendations to the industry and ensure that new research and development is incorporated to refine and improve advice given to the sheep industry.
SCOPS includes representatives from a wide range of industry organisations – logos and links are below. The equivalent organisation for cattle is the Control Of Worms Sustainably (COWS).
The SCOPS Nematodirus Hatching Forecast is designed to help sheep farmers, vets and advisers decide IF and WHEN lambs grazing contaminated pasture may require treatment to prevent disease caused by Nematodirus larvae.
The importance of temperature on the hatching of larvae means that the risk to young lambs varies significantly from year to year, between areas of the country and even between fields on the same farm.
The SCOPS forecast is based on the temperature thresholds required for the larvae to hatch and indicates when peak hatching is likely in an area. It should always be used in conjunction with a risk assessment for individual groups of lambs.
The forecast provides guidance on when blowfly emergence from overwintered pupae can be expected. It is based on temperatures recorded at nearby weather stations, but actual timing will vary depending on individual farm factors.
The aim of the forecast is to help producers identify when temperatures have reached the threshold at which fly emergence is imminent and to support planning of preventative treatments before the first wave of flies appears.
