SCOPS said it welcomes the announcement that Moredun has accessed £6 million to further research a vaccine against nematodes.

In a statement, SCOPS said: “Given SCOPS works to reduce the speed at which resistance develops to anthelmintic worm treatments, any options to widen the arsenal of tools to tackle worms is very welcome.”

Moredun recently announced that it’s to lead a £6m collaborative project to develop a novel parasite vaccine for sheep.

Parasitism by gastrointestinal nematodes (parasitic worms which live in the gut) has a major impact on animal production worldwide. Nematode infections of sheep negatively affect health and welfare outcomes for infected animals.

The cost of parasitism in the UK is estimated at approximately £4 per lamb through reduced weight gain and treatment costs and the total cost to the Australian sheep and goat industry is estimated at more than £229.8m each year.

Dr Alasdair Nisbet, project lead from Moredun Research Institute, said: “We are delighted to be able to lead this international team to develop our nematode vaccine technology further and push towards a commercial product to help control this major issue in the sheep industry in the UK and beyond.”