"In most cases, abortion is caused due to placental insufficiencies, so make sure to include the placenta when sending in a sample to a veterinary lab," said Shane McGettrick.

McGettrick is a laboratory manager with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine's Regional Veterinary Laboratory in Co. Sligo.

He was speaking at the Teagasc National Hill Sheep Conference on Thursday, February 24, at the Clayton Hotel in Co. Sligo.

On the issue of abortion, Shane said: "If you are submitting in a sample to us and looking for a diagnosis, please include the placenta.

"A problem with the placenta will cut off nutrition from the bloodstream that is going to feed that lamb and that is going to cause an abortion."

Giving some practical tips on ovine abortion, Shane said: "Isolate any ewe that has aborted in case there is anything infectious there.

"Remove any bedding, as it could be infectious and it could spread to other ewes that are lambing down.

"When I speak to farmers dealing with an abortion outbreak, you usually get a bit of a warning the first year and then if a storm is going to come, it will be in the second year.

"Furthermore, get good veterinary advice. There are a lot of remedies and control mechanisms to put in place that can help with preventing abortion.

"Foster male lambs onto foster ewes rather than ewe lambs, and rule out the risk of a female lamb that could be going into your breeding flock in the future being infected from the aborted ewe that she was fostered onto.

"Again, include the placenta when sending in sample to the lab and focus in on ewe health and nutrition in late pregnancy, as it can save a lot of hardship."