Sheep farmers heading towards the breeding season are being urged to pay close attention to pregnancy scanning results, with scanners encouraged to help flag early signs of fertility problems and prompt timely veterinary advice.
Ruminant Health & Welfare’s Bluetongue Working Group has called on the UK’s network of sheep pregnancy scanners to play a more active role in highlighting potential issues where results fall below expectations.
The group says scanners are often best placed to spot warning signs such as higher barren rates or unexpected shifts towards single pregnancies, which can point to underlying health or management problems.
Phillipa Page, president of the Sheep Veterinary Society, said scanning offers a valuable early snapshot of flock fertility. “Pregnancy scanning can reveal fertility problems before they’re obvious day-to-day on farm,” she said, adding that “higher barren rates, or an unusual shift towards singles, can be early indicators of an underlying issue”.
She said scanners frequently see those patterns first and can help farmers act quickly. “Scanners are often the first to spot those patterns and can help farmers take action in good time,” she said.
Concerns around disease mean those early conversations are particularly important this season. Dr Page said bluetongue serotype 3 has already had a significant impact on fertility in cattle, but that its implications for sheep flocks are still being assessed.
“Bluetongue serotype 3 is presenting a real challenge and, in cattle herds, we’ve seen substantial impacts on fertility,” she said. “We need more evidence to understand what this could mean for sheep flocks.”
She stressed that raising concerns promptly allows vets to investigate sooner and helps build a clearer understanding of risks ahead of lambing. “If farmers raise concerns early, vets can support them sooner and we can build a clearer picture of how significant bluetongue-related fertility impacts may be ahead of the next lambing season,” she said.
To support scanners during the busy scanning period, Ruminant Health & Welfare is producing resources aimed at helping them share consistent, practical messages on farm.
These are designed to explain what high barren rates may indicate, highlight common causes and support myth-busting, while reinforcing the importance of involving a vet where concerns arise.
A new podcast chaired by Dr Page is now available, featuring practical discussion and on-farm insights from APHA small ruminant lead Rudolf Reichel and specialist sheep vet Dr Fiona Lovatt of Flock Health. Further guidance is due to be published later this month on the RH&W sheep scanner webpage.
Dr Page said scanning season can be a pressured time and that reassurance, alongside professional support, is often key. “Scanning is a high-pressure time,” she said. “Often the most helpful step is to reassure the farmer, step back and suggest they contact their vet as soon as possible.”
She added that not all fertility issues are disease-related. “Sometimes the explanation can be something as simple as poor ewe body condition, including the knock-on effects from last summer’s drought,” she said. “Early investigation helps everyone.”
