THREE-QUARTERS of farmers who attended lameness meetings across Eblex’s 19 sheep focus farms plan to change their management practices as a result of what they learnt.

The most popular change is to treat lame sheep earlier (51 per cent), followed by culling repeatedly lame ewes (45 per cent). The events also prompted them to question their use of foot trimming, with those that routinely trim feet being more likely to stop as a result of attending the events.

The lameness meetings were part of the EBLEX focus farm initiative, which involves a network of sheep farms around England and is funded by the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) Skills Framework.

The first round of meetings attracted over 700 farmers and industry advisers to hear about the five-point lameness plan and see practical demonstrations on lesion identification and treatment.

Attendees completed a quiz on lesion diagnosis, which showed 80 per cent of farmers could recognise scald and 67 per cent footrot. However, Contagious Ovine Digital Dermatitis (CODD) was only recognised by 58 per cent.

When asked about their management practices, 18 per cent believed that more than five per cent of their flock was lame at any one time, however only four per cent of those questioned would use their vet to diagnose lameness.

Routine foot trimming was common – despite being shown to be counter-productive in many cases – with 35 per cent doing it once or twice a year and eight per cent more than three times a year.

Steve Dunkley, Eblex senior regional manager, said: "If the English sheep industry is to tackle its significant lameness problem, it’s essential that farmers know what they are treating, and treat accordingly, as mis-diagnosis can lead to prolonged lameness, extra costs and ineffective treatment. Farmers should use the vet to diagnose lesions if they have concerns or an ongoing issue that isn't improving."