How Footvax helped control lameness on a county Wicklow farm
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Sophie Tyner runs a mixed farming enterprise comprising of sheep, tillage, sucklers, and dairy beef, in
partnership with her parents Colin and Janet, just outside the village of Shillelagh, county Wicklow.
“Twenty years ago, my parents had a sizeable flock lambing between 600 and 700 ewes every
March,” she said.
“I’ve always had a strong interest in sheep, and that led me to buy 50 in-lamb ewes in January 2024. I
lambed them through March last year with the help of my boyfriend Daryl Keown, kept as many
replacements as I could, and lambed 70 this March. I’m hoping to expand on that number in due
course.”
The Tyners housed the ewes soon after their arrival and unfortunately lameness, predominantly
caused by footrot, proved “a battle from the get-go,” according to Sophie.
“We treated them using antibiotic sprays and injectables, anti-inflammatories and footbathing, but
for most of the year, we just couldn’t get on top of the problem,” she said.
“Between 50 and 60 per cent of the flock were lame, so dealing with that proved very labour
intensive and frustrating, despite best efforts in terms of clean bedding and liming around feed and
water troughs.”
Footrot
Footrot is caused by Dichelobacter nodosus, a highly contagious bacterium already present in the
environment. It causes a foul-smelling infection, spreads easily via infected feet, contaminated
pasture, bedding or equipment, and can survive on pasture for 10 to 14 days under optimal
conditions.
As the most significant cause of lameness in Irish flocks, footrot reduces mobility, impairs fertility,
suppresses feed intake, and increases susceptibility to other diseases such as mastitis and fly strike.
An outbreak of footrot in finishing lambs may reduce growth rates by up to 50g per day. With
lameness costing the Irish sheep industry approximately €5 million annually, effective control is
essential.
Veterinary Recommendation
Last November, following advice from her veterinary practitioner Arthur Donald of Boggan
Veterinary, Kilbride, County Carlow, and positive feedback from other farmers, Sophie vaccinated her
ewes with Footvax.
The Footvax primary course consists of two 1ml doses, given six weeks apart, administered under the
skin, two to three inches behind the ear. Revaccination should take place at six monthly intervals in
flocks with constant disease challenge. Footvax can also be administered to lambs from four weeks
of age.
Whole-flock vaccination is a key element of a footrot control programme, providing sheep with an
antibody response to D. nodosus. Footvax contains ten strains of the bacterium, reducing the risk of
clinical infection caused by D. nodosus.
“Footvax was so straightforward to use,” said Sophie. “It was easier than getting the ewes in, turning
them over, and treating them. It really was a win-win. A few weeks after completing the primary
course of the vaccine, we saw a huge reduction in the levels of lameness. It really was like night and
day.”
“We went from a 50 to 60 per cent lameness rate all the way down to between zero and five per cent
during the spring period, which is when you’d normally expect footrot to peak due to warm and wet
conditions.”
Footvax has made daily life less hectic for Sophie, who also works off farm with Grassland Agro.
“There has been considerable labour and cost savings since we began vaccinating. We’re also using a
lot less antibiotics now than we had been up until last November.”
For farmers currently dealing with high levels of footrot, Sophie offered this advice: “Speak to your
vet about your options. Using Footvax in our flock has saved time and labour and has made a huge
and positive difference on our farm.”
Speak to your veterinary practitioner to discuss vaccination further and to implement a lameness
control programme for your flock.
For more information click here: Sheep Lameness - What impact is it having on your flock?
