There is just over a month until the Sheep Veterinary Society (SVS) hosts its Spring conference in Templepatrick, Northern Ireland on 23 to 25 May 2022. They are starting their conference countdown with a quick roundup of what’s on offer over the two and a half days.
The SVS conference programme starts on Monday morning with a workshop covering everything you need to know on liver fluke investigation, diagnostics, control and investigation of potential treatment failures.
That afternoon, following an introduction to sheep farming in Northern Ireland, the SVS are delighted to welcome keynote speaker Tommy Boland from the University College Dublin who will be discussing the “challenges and opportunities for pasture-based sheep production”, a topic of increasing relevance as feed costs rise. The day ends with an update on regional sheep scab control and responsible medicine use.
The Monday evening will see SVS conference delegates incarcerated at the Crumlin Road Gaol for the conference dinner and a bit of history.
The following day there will speakers from all four provinces to educate delegates on liver and rumen fluke, border disease, ovine mortality and ewe breeding indexes. On a more concerning topic a representative from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DEARA) NI will be talking on the recent identification of Maedi Visna and its implications for sheep flocks in Northern Ireland.
The afternoon session is a series of short presentations from vets in practice, research and students, covering subjects including sheep fertility, colostrum transfer and new test developments. Additionally, Peter Hynes from “Tackle your feelings” will be doing a session on mental health challenges. Hopefully there will be plenty of opportunity for discussion and developing contacts.
To finish SVS conference delegates are heading into the beautiful Glens of Antrim for a farm visit on Wednesday morning. The Tweed family has been associated with the farmland since 1647 and run over 3,000 ewes over 1,600 acres of upland grazing. More recently some of the farm has been used as location for the set of Game of Thrones, a variation on farm diversification.
The SVS conference is open for all vets or industry representatives to attend. Detailed programme and booking form available via their website, and deadline for booking is Monday 2 May 2022.
In today’s climate of environmental mindfulness to offset the increased impact of travel to the Belfast conference, especially if flying, the SVS has set up a Just Giving Page with The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) charity. They are encourage you to donate here.
