SHEEP farmers have been urged to put all new stock into quarantine to reduce the risk of spreading disease.

Dr Colin Macaldowie of the Moredun institute, said it was an easy way to reduce the risk of introducing disease on to a farm.

"The poultry and pig men would not dream of taking animals on to their farm without a quarantine period of at least three weeks, and you should do the same," he said.

He was addressing the National Sheep Association's northern region annual meeting at the George hotel, Piercebridge.

Quarantine was something which could be done on most farms without too much of a problem. "Three metres separation is normally all right for quarantine," he said, adding that the Moredun farm had quarantine stock on one side of the farm road and other stock on the opposite side. Both were fenced in for security.

Dr Macaldowie, who is also secretary of the sheep veterinary society, urged farmers to make disease prevention a priority.

On flock management, he said producers should consider whether they were going to have a closed or an open flock.

"I think people should be trying to move towards closing the flock up as much as possible," he said, "Where you do have to bring stock in, you have to be very careful."

Stock should be bought from as few farmers as possible, and only those who were known to be reliable.

"You should find out about the health history of the flock, consider pre-purchase inspections and blood tests and make use of health schemes," said Dr Macaldowie.

The farmer should expect disease in quarantined stock and keep them in secure areas. They should be treated for scab and similar complaints, drenched for worms, vaccinated and have their feet trimmed.

Farm bio-security was not just about disinfectants and footbaths, although they were important and necessary.

Answering questions, Dr Macaldowie said that, although people using footpaths across farms did pose a health risk, it was nothing compared with that posed by people entering the farm and handling animals.

He urged producers to keep written records about the flock, to keep reports on lambing and tupping and have regular visits by the vet, at least once every six months.

He began his talk by stating that nothing in the sheep industry would ever be the same again following foot-and-mouth.

"The speed it spread was down to one thing really: the result of livestock movements. Mixing creates the greatest risk of spreading any infectious disease," he said.

In 1996 it was estimated that infectious diseases cost UK sheep producers some £236m - about £1,000 per producer. The most expensive was abortions in sheep, which cost the producer about £80 each time.

But he said scab had grown out of control since compulsory dipping stopped; worms were a threat, with some strains resistant to treatments; footrot was a big welfare problem; scrapie was back again; fluke was at a five year high; and caseous lymphadenitis which was a major problem in pedigree flocks was waiting to spread into commercial ones.

Brought in to the country by goats in the 1990s it causes multiple abscesses on the carcase.

Dr Macaldowie ended by saying producers must make contingency plans to deal with any sudden crisis.

He repeated his belief in quarantine and said it was something being promoted: "But you need to have 100pc farmers to carry out quarantine so that the chief veterinary officer can have confidence in it. As an industry it has to be done."