Seventy Wynnstay animal health advisers are now primed to help Welsh sheep producers stamp out flock foot problems after the company organised four practical training workshops on reducing lameness issues.

The company held both morning and afternoon sessions at Coleg Cambria, Lysfasi College (September 11) and Newtown College (September 14), the four events trained delegates on how to help sheep farmers implement the industry-accepted five-point lameness reduction plan.

“The five-point plan offers sheep producers a clear lameness management strategy and a practical protocol for reducing the incidence of this costly problem. However, farmers are quite often unsure how to get started, but by offering this training to suitably qualified persons (SQPs) within the animal health trade we hope many more sheep producers will benefit from the helping hand they can provide,” said workshop moderator and independent sheep vet Phillipa Page from Flock Health Limited.

Ms Page said that lameness should not be accepted as part and parcel of sheep farming and that autumn was a good time to help farmers get started with the five-point plan.

“Implemented correctly, the five-point plan builds a flock’s resilience to disease through culling persistently lame animals, reduces the infection challenge on the farm and establishes immunity through correct vaccination. Many flocks around the country are seeing the benefits of implementing this plan and sheep lameness nationally would be dramatically reduced if more Welsh farmers adopted it,” she said.

Sheep producers interested in implementing the five-point plan on their own farm should contact their local vet or animal health adviser and ask for help from a qualified lameness reduction adviser.