NSA Breed Society Forum provides timely update on genetic progress and disease impact
9th May 2025
NSA welcomed its affiliated breed societies to an insightful day of knowledge exchange at Nottingham University Vet School on Wednesday (7th May 2025).
Representatives from a wide variety of UK sheep breed societies joined the NSA Breed Society Forum, taking place as an in person event for the first time in more than five years.
A busy agenda saw the morning session begin with an update from Defra head of Exotic Disease, Gordon Hickman, on the ongoing bluetongue (BTV3) situation, current movement controls and its impact on upcoming agricultural shows and sales this spring and summer.
Discussion followed on the value of collaborative working to move the UK sheep industry forward together, recognising the part all the UK’s varied breeds play in this and the ways we can work to improve and understand genetic traits. NSA was pleased to be joined by industry representatives to deliver this forward thinking information with presentations from Barrie Turner of Native British Lamb 365, a group of societies promoting the sustainability of the UK’s Stratified Sheep system, Kate Phillips of Performance Recorded Lleyn Breeders, and Steph and Andy Ryder of Pedigree Livestock Services, looking at efficient and collaborative delivery of breed society activities.
NSA Chief Executive Phil Stocker attended the Forum and comments: “It felt good to be back for a face to face meeting with some of our breed societies this week for what was a topical event. Hearing from three very different models of breed societies on collaborating for a common purpose to seek efficiencies in an ever tightening world was refreshing and very positive.”
The day continued with in depth look by Janet Roden from Innovis on the work of Breed for Ch4nge and how its learnings will support the sheep industry in its entirety, before the morning was completed with a talk from Sam Boon of Signet exploring the role of genotyping and genomics.
The afternoon was spent in the hands of a number of representatives and vets from Nottingham Vet School viewing the onsite abattoir and the vet school’s liver and lung pathology workshop. Presentations were given on work being undertaken on Maedi Visna, foot rot, bluetongue and Schmallenberg disease, navel dressings and alternatives to iodine, and the work of the Sheep Antibiotic Guardian Group.
Mr Stocker concludes: “It was a fascinating, informative and friendly day and NSA’s thanks go to everyone who was involved and attended.”
