Becoming the best sheep industry internationally for health and welfare is set to be the focus of the Sheep Health and Welfare Group (SHAWG) conference this November.

Farmers, vets, processors, retailers and academics from across the sheep industry are welcome at the one-day conference to hear the latest developments in sheep health and welfare.

The event will take place on November 21, 2018, at Drayton Manor, Staffordshire.

SHAWG chairman, Charles Sercombe will start the day by giving his vision for the sheep industry including Brexit and Defra policy.

Sercombe said: “This year’s conference will showcase the hard work of both industry and academics in our quest to become the best sheep industry in the world for health and welfare.

“There are exciting and challenging times ahead for the sheep industry and with Brexit, never has there been more opportunity to have a say on its future.

“I hope attendees will pick up inspiration and new ideas to help them stay competitive.”

Programme

The day will include three sessions, the first of which will focus on ensuring responsible medicine use.

Guest speaker sheep veterinary consultant Fiona Lovatt will review the progress made a year on from the RUMA (Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance) report on antimicrobial use, discussing industry data and the next steps.

With the future in mind, Lesley Stubbings, independent sheep consultant, will discuss where the industry needs to get to when it comes to sheep scab control, providing updates on current activity.

The second session will look at the priority areas for the sheep industry and in the afternoon there will be an interactive problem-solving session to discuss issues such as disease surveillance and the use of technology.