OPA in Sheep

I bought some gimmer lambs in the sales last year to run on and keep some grass down with the intention of selling them this Autumn, that was the plan. Last week one looked a bit off so got in the pens gave it a jab and if it didn’t perk up by the next day vet job might be cheaper than paying the knacker man . Long story short after a pm it had OPA which is infectious but rare in young sheep so the rest of them could have it . I was told I probably bought it with it . I come to the decision to sell them for meat .
Should I contact the previous seller that he possibly has OPA in his flock ?
 
I bought some gimmer lambs in the sales last year to run on and keep some grass down with the intention of selling them this Autumn, that was the plan. Last week one looked a bit off so got in the pens gave it a jab and if it didn’t perk up by the next day vet job might be cheaper than paying the knacker man . Long story short after a pm it had OPA which is infectious but rare in young sheep so the rest of them could have it . I was told I probably bought it with it . I come to the decision to sell them for meat .
Should I contact the previous seller that he possibly has OPA in his flock ?
OPA is not that infectious. What breed are they? The Scottish Blackface are rotten with it and any thing bred of them. It's spread through the breeding. Good luck with the previous owner, in my experience they will deny they have a problem.
You can expect to anything up to 10% per year mortality with it.
 

Tim W

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Wiltshire
OPA is not that infectious. What breed are they? The Scottish Blackface are rotten with it and any thing bred of them. It's spread through the breeding

I think it's a retrovirus ---spreads through inhalation of airborne virus/snot & mucus from infected animals and milk/colostrum
So it is quite infectious (otherwise it wouldn't be spread through a whole population?) especially in housed animals

You can scan for early development and there are good case studies of flocks scanning/culling their way out of it ---but the scanning isn't that accurate and it needs to be done on a 6 monthly basis to be effective i think?

Tell the seller that he has it ----it's then his/her responsibility to do something
 
OPA is not that infectious. What breed are they? The Scottish Blackface are rotten with it and any thing bred of them. It's spread through the breeding. Good luck with the previous owner, in my experience they will deny they have a problem.
You can expect to anything up to 10% per year mortality with it.
I don’t expect any money from them
 
I think it's a retrovirus ---spreads through inhalation of airborne virus/snot & mucus from infected animals and milk/colostrum
So it is quite infectious (otherwise it wouldn't be spread through a whole population?) especially in housed animals

You can scan for early development and there are good case studies of flocks scanning/culling their way out of it ---but the scanning isn't that accurate and it needs to be done on a 6 monthly basis to be effective i think?

Tell the seller that he has it ----it's then his/her responsibility to do something
Anytime I challenge those who sell me Scotch Mules that have OPA they claim they don't have it and there sheep must have been infected by someone else's.

I thought that if I started scanning mine to identify those with OPA earlier it would reduce the risk of sheep to sheep spread. The scanner I approached was happy to come and scan them,which he did ,but didn't think it would have any effect on the numbers that were going down with OPA.

He said that when he scanned a flock ever six months he was halving the number found and after five years they weren't finding any OPA. He didn't think they would be able to reduce numbers as fast if the spread of OPA between sheep through contact was as prevalent as first thought, although he wouldn't go as far as say there was none.

I think those that clearly have a serious problem with OPA are hiding behind the contact spread of the disease.
 

Macsky

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Highland
OPA is not that infectious. What breed are they? The Scottish Blackface are rotten with it and any thing bred of them. It's spread through the breeding. Good luck with the previous owner, in my experience they will deny they have a problem.
You can expect to anything up to 10% per year mortality with it.
Do you mean transmitted during mating, or certain genetics, such as blackies, are more susceptible?
 

unlacedgecko

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Fife
Do you mean transmitted during mating, or certain genetics, such as blackies, are more susceptible?

2508B4FF-F099-493C-A0CB-6481B6AE7348.png


looks like transmission is mother-offspring. But can also spread among adults via aerosol inhalation (trough feeding and housing being particular risk factors).
 

AftonShepherd

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
East Ayrshire
I was talking to someone the other day who took on a flock with it. First he knew was when a ewe lay down wheezing on the first gather and the contract shepherd helping him Geckoed her there and then. Shepherd then explained it was the safest way to keep on top of it.

Not sure how long he's scanned for but still gets 1 or 2% every time (think first was over 10%) and culls anything instantly that even looks like coughing or wheezing.

One thing that made a big difference for him was changing from feed tubs to feed blocks - any nasal discharge at least has a chance of running off or getting washed off.
 

unlacedgecko

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Fife
I was talking to someone the other day who took on a flock with it. First he knew was when a ewe lay down wheezing on the first gather and the contract shepherd helping him Geckoed her there and then. Shepherd then explained it was the safest way to keep on top of it.

Not sure how long he's scanned for but still gets 1 or 2% every time (think first was over 10%) and culls anything instantly that even looks like coughing or wheezing.

One thing that made a big difference for him was changing from feed tubs to feed blocks - any nasal discharge at least has a chance of running off or getting washed off.

FFS I'm now a verb 😂

Someone told me that if I ever buy draft blackies, when they come off the wagon they need a swift run about the field with a dog behind them. Anything which sits down and sulks needs to be in the next lorry back to market.
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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