27 Nov 2025
The subsidised scheme runs from 1 December 2025 to 30 June 2026.
Chris Simpson
Job Title
MSD Animal Health veterinary advisor Kat Baxter-Smith.
A subsidised sheep blood testing scheme is set to launch early this winter to help vets and farmers identify causes of lamb losses.
MSD Animal Health usually launches its annual FlockCheck diagnostic scheme in February each year, but the 2026 edition will kick off on 1 December 2025.
The initiative, which runs throughout England, Scotland and Wales, allows farmers to have their flocks tested for exposure toxoplasmosis and enzootic abortion (EAE).
By opening early, officials say the scheme will help identify potential flock health issues and causes of early lamb losses before breeding.
Vets collect blood samples from between six and eight aborted, unvaccinated ewes, or from barren ewes or those producing weakly lambs, and the test results can help them target vaccination and management strategies effectively alongside farmers.
MSD Animal Health veterinary advisor Kat Baxter-Smith said: “By starting the scheme in December instead of February, farmers and vets can get ahead of problems, identify disease risks sooner and make informed management and vaccination decisions before the next breeding season.”
She noted that 79% of 400 tested flocks had been exposed to Toxoplasma gondii in the 2025 FlockCheck results, while 35% tested positive for the cause of EAE, Chlamydia abortus.
Dr Baxter-Smith said it is “particularly concerning” that the APHA’s 2024 Flock Health Survey revealed that more than 30% of 966 sheep units in Great Britain either didn’t know their barren ewe rate or reported a rate greater than 5% after lambing.
She added: “Fortunately, [toxoplasmosis] can be controlled effectively by a simple vaccination programme.
“Ideally, every ewe should be vaccinated before breeding because of the widespread disease threat and the significant financial implications.
“Both toxoplasmosis and enzootic abortion are also classified as NOAH category 1 diseases, meaning vaccination should be considered standard practice on all sheep farms.”
The 2026 FlockCheck scheme closes on 30 June 2026.
