The document discusses the challenges of managing animal health amid climate change, focusing on economic pressures, adaptation strategies, and the impact of changing climate on sheep production costs. It emphasizes the importance of quantifying current health situations, modifying husbandry methods, and implementing targeted health plans to address issues such as lameness and liver fluke. Future planning and partnerships with veterinary professionals are highlighted as essential for effective disease management.

1. Managing health in the face of
changing climate
Ruth Clements

2. Challenges associated with climate
change
• Economic – more people to feed, but not an
elastic demand. Pressure on cost of
production and efficiency.
• Adaptation – be that cycles of change,
increased volatility or overall change.
• Mitigation – what might we be required to do
to reduce the carbon footprint:
– Intensify
– De‐intensify
– Integrated farming

3. Disease and ill health costs ...
• What have been the changing direct costs in
1000 ewe sheep production at FAI linked to
changing climate patterns:
– BTV vaccination = 0.60p/dose £1,400/yr
– Initial loss of sheep to fluke £2,500
– Subsequent increased fluke tx £348/yr
– Increased use of wormers £331/yr
– Change of product insecticide £661/yr
• Impacts on efficiency and productivity are often
difficult to quantify. Much disease is sub‐clinical.

4. Managing Animal Health
The challenge is to plan and prioritise, and to keep an open mind to changes.

5. Managing health
• Encouraging tolerance to disease can be very
useful.
– Adaptive breeding
• Managing environment and modifying husbandry
methods.
• Working on optimal nutrition, particularly micro‐
nutrients.
• Quantifying the current situation
– Knowing where you stand, and what the national
picture is

6. Quantifying current situation
• Current production and herd/flock records:
– Production parameters, disease levels, costs.
• Diagnostics, ongoing monitoring and response to
change.

7. Liver Fluke at FAI – an example
Kings lock
River Thames Seacourt tributary
Acute flooding caused by heavy rainfall.
Short term effects:
•Initial deaths
•Stress related illness
•Concurrent disease
•Insufficient pasture
Longer term effects:
•Change in habitat
•Change in plant and animal species
Juncus inflexus

8. Investigation of Liver Fluke at FAI
• After initial acute problem a revised plan was needed .
• We first quantified the overall scale of problem.
Key Factors
• Water habitat
• Aquatic snail host
•Pasture indicators
• Egg excretion
• Clinical signs in animals

9. Investigation of Liver Fluke
Environmental
Indicators
Animal Indicators

10. Investigation of Liver Fluke

11. Fluke Health plan

12. Example – Lameness at FAI
• Improvement in lameness levels at
FAI, but problem remains costly in
terms of time, meds, and welfare.
• National incidence estimated at
between 6 ‐11%.
• A new initiative has been developed
alongside an innovative sheep
farmer who recognised the cost of
treating lame sheep and was not
prepared to accept ill health as
normal in his flock.
• A new protocol was developed
aimed a tackling lameness with a
combination of measures.

13. Foot rot and Scald
Lameness Reduction programme Protocol
Initial Protocol ‐ Overview
• Use cull tags to identify animals badly affected by foot rot , be ruthless to begin with. Any animal treated for
moderate or severe foot rot (see lameness scoring guide) more than once in one season should be cull tagged,
and separated from the main flock at the earliest possible convenience.
• Catch and treat any lame animal seen in accordance with the treatment protocol.
• Run flock through 10% zinc sulphate footbath at gathering as a preventative measure and in the event of
outbreaks.
• Assess handling and housing facilities and pasture to identify any particular areas likely to increase the risk of
disease transmission. Where possible modify these facilities or take remedial measures to reduce disease
transmission.
• Vaccinate all breeding stock in January and June with the Footvax vaccine. Vaccinate any lambs over wintered in
January.
• Quarantine all incoming stock in accordance with quarantine protocol. Identify disease and treatment history of
all replacement stock. Review buying policy.
Key Elements
1.Breed for resistance – CULL
2.Encourage immunity – VACCINATE
3.Prevent spread – TREAT, MODIFY
4.Prevent Introduction ‐ QUARANTINE

14. Current programme
• Initial roll out on three farms – quantification
of current problem, modification of protocol,
resolution of practical issues.

15. Lameness Health plan
The challenge is to plan and prioritise, and to keep an open mind to changes.

16. Actions for the future – what can we
do?
• Quantify the current situation.
• Decide on production criteria and work out
how to tackle health concerns.
• Operate the health plans effectively.
• Use disease forecasts, and keep an open mind
to ongoing changes.
• Farm vets and health professionals can help in
decision making but this needs to be a farmer
led partnership.

17. Planning for Health
• Once the situation is quantified an overall
timed action plan can be determined.
• Ongoing adaptation is key, system must be
easily accessible and changeable over time.