The Teagasc National Lowland Sheep Conference will take place on Tuesday, January 28, in the Ard Rí House Hotel, Tuam, Co. Galway, and on Thursday, January 30, in the Knightsbrook Hotel, Trim, Co. Meath.
Both events, which start at 7:00p.m, will address a range of sheep production issues, with speakers from the UK, Teagasc, and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
Director of research at Teagasc, Prof. Pat Dillon, will speak at Tuesday’s conference, while Teagasc director Prof. Frank O’Mara will address Thursday’s conference.
The opening talk will be delivered by Miriam Parker, from Livestockwise, about “low stress handling for shepherd and sheep”. Based in the Welsh Borders region, Parker set up Livestockwise to provide specialist advice in the area of animal handling and slaughter.
Seamus Fagan from the DAFM Regional Veterinary Laboratory (RVL) will also give a talk. He will make a presentation about the findings from the ‘Thin Ewe Scheme’.
The RVL undertook the study to provide information on the causes of ill thrift and poor Body Condition Score (BCS) in ewes. It investigated ewes from flocks where thin ewes were a substantial problem, despite receiving adequate nutrition.
Teagasc sheep research officer, Dr. Frank Campion, will deliver a paper on the importance for sheep producers to pay attention to ewe BCS, and how to use it when making decisions.
Finally, grassland nutrition researcher at Teagasc, Sarah Woodmartin, will speak about botanically diverse swards, and how they play an important role in enhancing the environmental sustainability of pasture-based sheep production systems.
Sheep
All farmers are obligated to carry out a sheep census each year on December 31, and submit details to DAFM.
The closing date for submitting the census by post is January 31, 2025. Online submissions will remain open until February 14, 2025.
Submission of the census is a legal requirement, and is a condition of eligibility for various sheep-related schemes.