Industry-wide lambing survey launched to capture pressures facing farmers

Sheep farmers are being urged to take part in an industry-wide lambing survey this spring to help build a clearer picture of the challenges facing the sector, from disease threats and vaccine supply issues to unpredictable weather and other emerging pressures.

The UK Lambing Survey 2026 is being led by the University of Nottingham and Fiona Lovatt of Flock Health Ltd, who also chairs the Sheep Antibiotic Guardian Group (SAGG).

Dr Lovatt is encouraging sheep producers to complete the survey, stressing the importance of gathering accurate information from farms across the UK.

She said: “There isn’t a time in a sheep farmer’s calendar more stressful than the lambing season.  In recent years, the pressure has risen further due to the additional threat of both Schmallenberg and Bluetongue viruses, disrupted vaccine supplies, unpredictable weather conditions and increasing scrutiny of what, for some, had become routine lambing-time practices.

“The UK sheep industry has a good reputation for responsible medicine stewardship, good practice and high welfare standards, which we are keen to maintain and defend. For this to happen, it is essential we gather baseline data on what takes place ‘on the ground’ or ‘in the lambing shed’. We are very grateful to everyone who supports this survey, both by filling it in and encouraging others to do so.”

The UK Lambing Survey 2026 is now live and is supported by organisations from across the sheep industry.  The survey takes around 12 minutes to complete. All responses are anonymous, with no farmer, farm names or locations, identifiable from the answers.

Shepherds managing separate flocks with different tupping dates are encouraged to complete a separate survey for each flock, as soon as possible after the last ewe has lambed. The survey will close on 30^th June 2026.

Aggregated findings from the survey will be made publicly available and will be used to directly inform the sheep section of the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Targets Task Force report (RUMA TTF) which contains antibiotic stewardship commitments and targets from each livestock sector from 2025 to 2029.

The results will also build on data collected, analysed and published by researchers at the University of Nottingham in 2012, 2017 and 2024, all years in which UK farmers faced severe losses due to Schmallenberg virus.

The survey can be completed using the following link https://bit.ly/lambingsurvey2026 or by scanning the QR code.

Notes for editors –

Contact – Fiona Lovatt, Flock Health Ltd. Email: fiona@flockhealth.co.uk;  07711 710216.

• Ethical approval: This study was approved by the University of Nottingham School of Veterinary Medicine and Science Committee for Animal Research and Ethics (CARE), reference number 4056 240124.
• The Sheep Antibiotic Guardian Group (SAGG) is a voluntary group of cross-sector organisations. It is responsible for co-ordinating the activity around antibiotic use in the sheep sector and to report progress on the antibiotic reduction targets on behalf of the sheep industry to the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture (RUMA) Alliance which reports its outputs on its website https://ruma.org.uk.
• SAGG is chaired by Fiona Lovatt, who works with sheep producer Kevin Harrison to report on behalf of the group to the RUMA Targets Task Force. The SAGG secretariat is provided by the Veterinary Medicine Directorate (VMD) and membership includes: National Sheep Association (NSA), Sheep Veterinary Society (SVS), National Farmers Union (NFU), Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), Quality Meat Scotland (QMS), Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC), Red Tractor, National Office of Animal Health (NOAH), Farm Assured Welsh Livestock and RUMA.
• With acknowledgements to the following organisations who are partnering with the UK Lambing Survey 2026:
  • Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health UK Ltd
  • Flock Health Ltd
  • National Farmers Union
  • National Sheep Association
  • MSD Animal Health
  • NoBACZ Healthcare
  • RCVS Knowledge
  • RUMA Agriculture
  • Ruminant Health and Welfare Group
  • Sheep Antibiotic Guardian Group
  • Sheep Veterinary Society
  • University of Nottingham
  • Zoetis UK Ltd
• The easiest survey link for sharing is at https://bit.ly/lambingsurvey2026 with the direct link at https://forms.office.com/e/9VdeacAZ1Z