The first two episodes of a new podcast series from SCOPS group have been launched 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, NSA English Committee Chair 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.”

The very first podcast, which looks at the SCOPS principles in practice on farms, dropped on Monday, 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.

Today (Friday) sees the second podcast dropped, a half-hour episode covering practical options for performing wormer treatment checks and faecal egg counts with 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. Find the podcasts at www.scops.org.uk/podcasts