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Neonatal lamb mortality constitutes a significant economic cost and is an important welfare challenge. Despite compelling evidence for reduction strategies and cost benefits associated with them, there has been no documented reduction in mortalitysince the 1970’s. We aimed to evaluate whether a knowledge exchange solution could be used to define farm specific loss risks accurately. This was done by training farmers how to examine neonatal lambs post-mortem to record and interpret common causes of mortality by following a basic framework. We used participatory rural appraisal to assess some of the existing challenges to reducing lamb mortality. When considering outcomes for specific post mortem questions, there was 87.5% agreement between veterinary and farmer answers and 82.3% of farmer diagnoses ( n = 96) agreed with the veterinary conclusions. When merged with farmer performed post-mortems, farm specific mortality pie-charts were developed to highlight the variation between flocks and the necessity for flock specific advice. Common challenges to reducing lamb loss included level of labour, skill set of labour, communication within teams and whether farmers generally considered post-mortems to be a valuable tool. We consider that farmer post-mortems of lambs could be a tool for the veterinary-farmer team, facilitating the communication of farm specific advice and empowering farmers to effect positive change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between sheep farmers and their veterinary surgeons is a challenging enigma in modern day farm animal practice. The necessity for flock health planning, disease surveillance and performance monitoring is ever increasing and demanded by legislation, industry and the consumer, but the working dynamic between both parties may be limited or in many cases non-existent. This article will consider the immense value sheep veterinary surgeons can deliver to sheep flocks, positively influencing productivity and animal welfare. It will attempt to define flock health planning and discuss the challenges for both shepherd and veterinary surgeon in embracing and delivering preventative strategies, considering the potential for engagement in the future and the opportunity to deliver innovative practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low profitability and poor economic returns are common complaints from a number of commercial sheep farmers, yet many do not measure their production costs or monitor lamb performance. Disappointing growth rates have significant implications for the productivity of lamb-production enterprises, resulting in finishing flocks missing peaks in market prices, reduced uniformity in finished groups, fewer lambs finished preweaning, an increased ratio of lambs kept or sold as stores compared to those sold fat, and decreases in ewe lamb fertility performance. An understanding of expected growth rates and the monitoring of weight gains in the commercial sheep flock can have benefits for productivity and be used to inform flock health decisions. This article describes the importance of maximising growth rates in lambs and how this can be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]