SHEEP EXPERTS from Scotland’s Rural College have taken part in an international workshop on ewe productivity, alongside representatives from the six main EU sheep-producing countries – the UK, Ireland, France, Romania, Spain and Italy – plus Turkey.

The meeting, held in Spain, was part of SheepNet, an EU-funded project intended to bring together farmers and experts from across the continent to share their tips and tricks to tackle common issues affecting the sector.

Of the 76 management ideas put forward by all the project's partner countries, plus Hungary and Australia and New Zealand, the top five were:

• Water supply to multiple lambing pens from one source to reduce labour (Ireland);

• Use of electronic ID recording tool to improve productivity (Turkey);

• Moving gate to put sheep through the race without stressing them (Australia);

• Dealing with enlarged teats by taping the normal teat to encourage lambs to suck the large one (Ireland);

• A barrier to prevent lambs from jumping in the feed trough (France).

Dr Claire Morgan-Davies, who attended the event alongside SRUC colleagues Professor Cathy Dwyer and Poppy Frater, said: “The EU is only 85% self-sufficient in sheep meat and is the largest importer of sheep meat worldwide. An increase in EU ewe productivity by 0.1 lambs reared per ewe joined would increase self-sufficiency in sheep meat to 92%.

"Ewe productivity is one of the main factors impacting on profitability of prime lamb production so these SheepNet events are an excellent way to share best practice.”

SheepNet will hold its next transnational workshop in Sardinia next November. To find out more, go to www.sheepnet.network