Breeding for tolerance to worms for the future of sheep farming in England

我们正在研究绵羊寄生性胃肠炎（肠道蠕虫）的问题。我们希望帮助英国农民更有效地耕作，减少对环境的影响。在许多蠕虫类不能充分发挥作用的世界里，我们需要探索通过利用可以使绵羊对蠕虫具有耐受性或抵抗力的基因来实现的增长率和经济回报。一项对西南部45个农场的研究（1）最近发现，大约94%的平均农场业务收入是由基本支付计划组成的，该计划很快就会被撤销。因此，我们应该考虑任何可以提高农场效率的措施。我们在康沃尔郡经营一个拥有800只种羊的农场，并定期通过进口公羊从新西兰羊群中提取遗传基因。我们希望能够识别和利用一些绵羊的遗传变异，使它们能够耐受或抵抗蠕虫，同时仍然能够充分生长。利用对蠕虫的耐受性或抗性可以减少农场用于灌洗的劳动力，降低治疗频率和成本，提高羔羊生长效率，同时还可以提高绵羊福利和产量。为了测试和识别耐受性或抗性，Trefrank农场将对大约200只公羊羔羊作物（2022年）进行称重，并从7月至11月每2周采集粪便样本进行粪便卵测试。我们的目标是确定那些羔羊，可以容忍高胃肠道蠕虫负担，同时仍然保持足够的增长率。将每4周对20只羔羊的对照组进行一次驱虫，作为"对照"，以确定试验组生长速率的基准。至关重要的是，福利是不断评估衡量的表现，任何试验羔羊下降到70%以下的对照组的增长率将与蠕虫浸泡。结果将由莫雷顿研究所的科学家分析，并通过CIEL传播。除了实际告知农民，这项研究将增加兽医，研究人员和农民的循证知识。这种利用遗传学的方法有可能被复制，并鼓励其他人将耐受性视为生产力的重要因素，福利驱动的羊群。"北德文郡先锋项目"-商业信息点，德文郡

We are studying the problem of parasitic gastroenteritis (gut worms) in sheep. We hope to aid UK farmers to farm more efficiently and have less environmental impact. In world where many wormer classes are not working sufficiently, we need to explore the growth rates and financial rewards that can be achieved by exploiting the genetic that can give sheep tolerance or resistance to worms. A study of 45 farms in the South West (1) recently found that around 94% of the average Farm Business Income was made up of the Basic Payment Scheme, which soon to be withdrawn. Anything we can be doing to farm more efficiently should therefore be considered.We run a farm in Cornwall with 800 breeding ewes and regularly pull genetics from the New Zealand flock by importing Rams. We hope to identify and exploit the genetic variation in some sheep which allows them to tolerate or be resistant to worms, whilst still growing sufficiently. Exploiting tolerance or resistance to worms could result in reducing farm labour for drenching, lowering treatment frequency and costs, increasing lamb growing efficiency whilst also improving sheep welfare and production.To test and identify tolerance or resistance, approximately 200 of the Trefrank Farm ram lamb crop (2022) will be weighed and have dung samples taken for faecal egg testing every 2 weeks from July - November. We aim to identify those lambs that can tolerate a high gastrointestinal worm burden whilst still maintaining adequate growth rates. A control group of 20 lambs will be wormed every 4 weeks to act as a 'control' by which to benchmark the test groups' growth rates. It is crucial that welfare is constantly assessed as measured by performance, and any test lambs dropping below 70% of the control group's growth rates will be drenched with a wormer.Results will be analyzed by scientists at the Moredun Institute and disseminated through CIEL. Alongside informing farmers practically, this study will increase the evidence-based knowledge for vets, researchers and also farmers. This approach to using genetics could potentially be replicated and also encourage others to consider tolerance as an important factor in a productive, welfare-driven flock.1. 'North Devon Pioneer Project' - Business Information Point, Devon