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Sheep Vet Society announces upcoming conference programme
The Sheep Veterinary Society's spring conference will be taking place 23-25 May in Northern Ireland.
The event is open to all vets or industry representatives.

The Sheep Veterinary Society has published details about its upcoming spring conference.

Taking place in Templepatrick, Northern Ireland (23-25 May), the event promises an exciting lineup of workshops, discussions and presentations on various issues relating to flock health and welfare.

Kickstarting the programme will be a workshop covering liver fluke investigation, diagnostics, control and investigation of potential treatment failures. 

This will be followed by an introduction to sheep farming in Northern Ireland, and a keynote speech by Tommy Boland, University College Dublin on the challenges and opportunities for pasture-based sheep production.

Day two will feature speakers from all four provinces who will deliver presentations on liver and rumen fluke, border disease, ovine mortality and ewe breeding indexes. A DEARA NI representative will speak on the recent identification of Maedi Visna and its implications for sheep flocks in Northern Ireland. 

Mental health challenges will also go under the spotlight in a session entitled “Tackle your feelings”, delivered by Peter Hynes. There will also be short sessions from vets in practice research and students on sheep fertility, colostrum transfer and new test developments. 

The conference is open to all vets or industry representatives and more details, including the booking form, are available on the Sheep Veterinary Society website

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Equine Disease Surveillance report released for Q4 2025

News Story 1
 The latest Equine Disease Surveillance report has been released, with details on equine disease from Q4 of 2025.

The report, produced by Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance, includes advice on rule changes for equine influenza vaccination.

Statistics and maps detail recent outbreaks of equine herpes virus, equine influenza, equine strangles and equine grass sickness. A series of laboratory reports provides data on virology, bacteriology, parasitology and toxicosis.

This issue also features a case study of orthoflavivus-associated neurological disease in a horse in the UK. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NSA webinar explores sheep tailing and castration

The National Sheep Association (NSA) is to host a free webinar on the castration and tail docking of lambs.

The webinar, 'Understanding the tailing and castration consultation: A guide for sheep farmers', will be hosted online on Monday, 2 March 2026 at 7.30pm.

It comes during a government consultation into the methods used for these procedures. Farmers are encouraged to engage before the consultation period closes on Monday, 9 March 2026.

The webinar offers clear and actionable guidance to support farmers to contribute meaningfully to the consultation and prepare for potential changes.

On the panel will be former SVS president Kate Hovers, farmer and vet Ann Van Eetvelt and SRUC professor in Animal Health and Veterinary Sciences Cathy Dwyer. Each panel member will utilise their own specialism and expertise to evaluate risks and outcomes to sheep farming.

Find out more about the webinar on the NSA website.