SCOPS launches new podcast series

The first two episodes of a new podcast series from the Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep (SCOPS) group drop this week, offering yet another tool to the UK sheep industry on this essential topic.

Kevin Harrison, a sheep farmer on the Gloucestershire-Somerset border and SCOPS Chair, features on the first episode. He comments:

“The SCOPS Steering Group is really excited about this new podcast series as an additional way for vets, advisers and farmers to engage in the topic of sustainable control of sheep parasites.

“Whether its vets listening as they drive between farm visits, a Suitably Qualified Person (SQP) or other adviser listening as they drive to work, or a farmer tuning in while checking their stock, we’re confident the podcasts are a really useful new tool in the service SCOPS offers the UK sheep sector. SCOPS already has a huge range of resources on its website, plus a great system for issuing updates and warnings at key times of the year, but this is an extra string to the bow that busy people can access on-the-go.”

The very first podcast, which looks at the SCOPS principles in practice on farms, dropped on Monday at www.scops.org.uk/podcasts, with listeners able to subscribe to the series wherever they get their podcasts, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts. In addition to Mr Harrison, it features Philippa Page, a specialist sheep vet with Flock Health, and SQP Jess Frost, an animal health specialist with Fram Farmers. Like all the episodes in the series, they are led through their discussion by podcast host Ben Eagle of RuralPod Media.

Friday will see the second podcast drop, a half-hour episode covering practical options for performing wormer treatment checks and faecal egg counts. Mr Eagle will be joined by three industry voices – independent sheep consultant and SCOPS specialist Lesley Stubbings, plus sheep farmer Anna Hawke, and Rebecca Mearns of Biobest, a company that specialists in processing samples submitted by farmers.

Episodes three and four will follow in November, with considerable appetite within the SCOPS Steering Group to record a second series if the SCOPS podcast debut is well received.

Mr Harrison says:

“We hope this first series of four episodes is well received. The SCOPS Steering Group has a long list of other topics it would like to feature in future episodes – so please give us your feedback on this first offering to help us develop the podcasts further in the future.”

Further information:

• This press release is issued by National Sheep Association (NSA) on behalf of SCOPS. For more information contact Katie James, NSA Communications Manager, on 01684 892661 or katie@nationalsheep.org.uk.
• SCOPS is funded by AgriSearch, AHDB, Animal Health Distributors Association (AHDA), Animal Medicines Training Regulatory Authority (AMTRA), Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC), National Farmers Union (NFU), National Office of Animal Health (NOAH), National Sheep Association (NSA), Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and Vetpol. These bodies are joined by a number of experts in parasitology and sheep health to form the SCOPS Steering Group. A full list is available at www.scops.org.uk