Sheep farmers may be incurring avoidable costs and adding to antibiotic resistance by inappropriately treating viral disease.
Antibiotics are still being used as a routine response to orf – a common viral disease that affects productivity and labour – despite having no effect on the virus itself, suggests a study.
Some 65% of farmers use topical antibiotic sprays to treat orf, according to a survey by the Royal Veterinary College and NoBACZ Healthcare. But this approach delivers little benefit while increasing on-farm costs, time pressures and resistance risk.
Treatment habits
One in four admitted using injectable antibiotics, even though these are not recommended unless secondary infection is present. By contrast, pain relief was used by 34% of farmers and rock salt licks by 14%.
Orf remains widespread. The disease had been seen on 73% of farms in the past year, with naturally reared lambs most affected. Half of respondents reported cases in ewes, while 11% saw infections in rams. A third of farmers contracted orf themselves.
Despite this prevalence, uptake of vaccination remains low. Only 23% of farmers surveyed were using the licensed vaccine, even though industry guidance recommends vaccination where orf is already present.
Economic impact
The study found a median cost of £5 per affected lamb, driven by treatment time, medicine costs and mastitis in ewes. Poor treatment choices are adding to losses, explains study author and veterinary surgeon David Charles.
“The impact of orf on flocks is huge, and little has been done to assess treatment approaches or the economic impact of orf for over a decade,” he says. “Antibiotics are often not an appropriate choice for the management of orf.”
Clearer guidance and wider adoption of preventative tools could cut costs while supporting responsible antibiotic use across the sector. Proven antibiotic-free alternatives are a more responsible first choice, says Mr Charles.
Gel alternative
Ambugreen from NoBACZ Healthcare is one such alternative. It uses a long-lasting and durable gel to provide a physical and microbial barrier to prevent the passage of microbes, allowing for natural healing underneath.
One Welsh sheep farmer, Eleri Williams, said changing approach during lambing last year reduced losses. “In the past we would typically use antibiotic spray,” she says, adding that infection often persisted and lambs could deteriorate quickly.
After switching to the gel-based barrier treatment, Ms Williams reported fewer cases and faster recovery. “Recovery times were also much quicker, with some lambs only requiring a single treatment.”