The findings of a Welsh Government-funded project have been published, with SCOPS highlighting the report as useful additional information for current understanding of the peri-parturient rise (PPR) in ewes at lambing time.

PPR is when the immune system of a ewe is compromised due to the stress of lambing, allowing adult worms in the ewe’s gut to produce more eggs.

These eggs, passed out in the ewe’s dung, contaminate the pasture grazed by lambs once they start to eat grass.

Treating ewes with a wormer at this time can speed up resistance to anthelmintics – hence the huge benefit of any new research into the topic.

The findings of the European Innovation Project (EIP) Wales study support the SCOPS principle that ewes should not be blanket treated at lambing time, suggesting ways to identify a greater proportion to be left untreated.