22 Jun 2021
Ceva Animal Health, manufacturer of Cevac Chlamydia, reveals results from National Enzootic Abortion of Ewes Survey, with three-quarters of respondents experiencing problems in past few years.
Paul Imrie
Job Title
A national survey of farmers has highlighted opportunities for testing and vaccinating for enzootic abortion of ewes (EAE) to prevent unnecessary lamb losses.
Ceva Animal Health, manufacturer of Cevac Chlamydia, revealed the results of the National Enzootic Abortion of Ewes Survey conducted with support from the National Sheep Association.
EAE is estimated to cost the UK sheep industry up to £20 million a year.
The survey to gain insight into farmers’ experiences of EAE generated 322 farmer responses, with 83% of these owning a flock of more than 100 ewes.
More than three-quarters of those questioned had experienced abortions in their ewes in both the 2018-19 and 2019-20 lambing seasons, and a quarter of those experiencing the problem in 2019-20 said it occurred in more than 2% of their flock.
Investigation by a vet is recommended if 2% or more of a total flock has aborted, or if two or more ewes has done so across two to three days, irrespective of size of the flock. The survey revealed 44% of farmers who experienced abortions in 2019-20 did not ask their vet to investigate the cause.
Katherine Timms, Ceva’s ruminant veterinary advisor, said: “Farmers who decide not to investigate why their ewes are aborting may well experience an abortion storm during the following year’s lambing season as Chlamydophila abortus, the bacteria that causes EAE, has the ability to lay latent in ewes until the next pregnancy.
“This means that one infected sheep shedding at lambing has the potential to infect multiple ewes that will almost certainly abort at their next lambing. The consequences can be financially and reproductively devastating for farmers, and it’s advisable that vets raise awareness of EAE testing with their clients to help prevent this from happening.
“Ceva’s Assure Ewe programme offers farmers subsidised farm serology testing for Chlamydia abortus. Aborted ewes can be tested for Chlamydia abortus, ideally from three weeks to three months after lambing.”
The survey found almost half of surveyed farmers did not vaccinate for EAE in the run-up to the 2019-20 lambing, although 57% of those who did not said they would consider it.
When able to tick multiple boxes, reasons given for not vaccinating included farmers believing they had closed flocks (59%) and EAE not having been diagnosed (57%). A fifth decided against because of cost and a quarter did not see it as worthwhile.
Independent sheep veterinary consultant Fiona Lovatt said: “It is very important to get a diagnosis from any abortion to ensure appropriate action can be taken.
“EAE is definitely a disease where a sensible vaccination programme makes huge sense; EAE vaccination is not expensive, so for any flock that buys ewes in or has sheep neighbours, it pays for itself several times over.”
Ceva is continuing its “For Flock’s Sake – Vaccinate!” initiative to raise EAE awareness. For more information, visit www.enzooticabortion.co.uk
