The objective of quarantine treatments is to minimise the chance you will introduce resistant worms (and sheep scab) into your flock. Quarantine should be applied to all incoming sheep. This includes those purchased from other flocks (including rams), and your own sheep that have been grazing on other farms (or common grazing) where the resistance status is unknown or likely to be different from the home farm. These recommendations also apply to any goats.
The recommended strategy will also prevent in-coming sheep bringing in sheep scab and Haemonchus contortus (Barber’s pole worm) on to a holding that does not have this troublesome worm species.
Three steps to follow
- Yard all sheep (ewes and rams) on arrival for 24-48 hours. Why? Because any worm eggs already in the faeces when the sheep are treated will escape exposure to the anthelmintic. Yarding makes sure these are not dropped onto pasture. It also gives you time to have a good look for other problems, such as CODD, CLA or orf.
- Treat to remove resistant worms and sheep scab. See below for treatment options. Why use more than one product? Because in order to guard against importing anthelmintic resistance, you need to make sure that all worms in the sheep are killed. Just using one product would leave the risk that worms resistant to that group were allowed to survive. It is worth the investment.
- Turn out to contaminated pasture (pasture that has carried sheep this season) and keep isolated for at least 3 weeks. Why? Because you need to make sure that should any worms survive treatment, they don’t go on to reproduce alone and populate a clean pasture. Incoming sheep need to pick up the worm population present on your farm as soon as possible. Remember it is your flock you are trying to protect, not the incoming sheep.
Quarantine treatment options
Treatment options depend on your risk category. Use the SCOPS quarantine guide to choose from a risk catgory and carry out all the treatments shown in your choice of either gold, silver or bronze columns.
