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APHA official’s report showed EAE and toxoplasmosis vaccination was consistently financially beneficial despite the upfront cost.
Chris Simpson
Job Title
Image: MSD Animal Health
Vaccinating against common sheep abortion pathogens could save farmers more than £8,000 in losses annually, new vet-led research has revealed.
Through the MSD Animal Health research bursary scheme, APHA veterinary epidemiology advisor Laura Worsley examined the financial impact of vaccination programmes in naïve flocks and those affected by enzootic abortion of ewes (EAE) or toxoplasmosis.
Dr Worsley used partial budget analysis to assess a range of scenarios for 100-ewe flocks.
In flocks where EAE or toxoplasmosis are endemic, the vet found vaccination led to average annual increases in net revenue of £1,932 and £2,514, respectively.
Naive flocks showed even more significant gains, with annual savings of £5,640 for EAE and £8,430 for toxoplasmosis, accounting for losses that would reasonably be expected following an initial flock breakdown.
Dr Worsley said: “The headline cost can put farmers off, but what this study clearly demonstrated is that across more than 10,000 modelled outcomes, vaccination never resulted in a financial loss, even when lower lamb prices were factored into the calculations.
“Every scenario showed a positive return.”
MSD Animal Health’s FlockCheck programme found that in 2025, 79% of 400 tested flocks had been exposed to Toxoplasma gondii while 35% tested positive for the cause of EAE, Chlamydia abortus.
Dr Worsley noted that since abortion vaccines must be administered before tupping, when the following season’s lamb price is still unknown, “farmers are making that decision at the point furthest away from seeing the consequences”.
She concluded: “But the modelling shows that regardless of lamb sale price, vaccination remains financially beneficial.”