Smarter vaccine strategy pays dividends 

Neil Stoddart, who runs 110 pedigree North Country Cheviots across 20ha (50 acres) at Cynwyl Gaeo in Carmarthenshire, was already vaccinating against all endemic diseases listed in the Category One NOAH Livestock Vaccination Guidelines, including toxoplasmosis, enzootic abortion, clostridial diseases, pasteurella and footrot. 

However, further improvements came after fine-tuning his strategy as part of a three-year sheep lameness and wider flock health management initiative, involving Sainsbury’s, meat processor Dunbia and MSD Animal Health in partnership with nine other farmers.

Wake-up call

Neil first introduced Toxovax following a severe abortion storm in his ewes 10 years ago, despite operating a closed flock. “It was a wake-up call,” he says. “We lost a significant number of lambs that year, and I never wanted to go through that again.”

Determined to avoid a repeat, he also began vaccinating against enzootic abortion as a precaution.

“Even though we hadn’t had a confirmed case, it made sense to cover ourselves – especially given the value of pedigree lambs and the importance of a tight lambing window.”

Lameness also became a concern when Neil recalls footrot prevalence peaking at unsustainable levels. He began vaccinating against the condition, which brought levels down to 3%, but he knew more could be done.

“We were vaccinating ewes once a year after shearing in early June, but still seeing lameness issues in the autumn,” he explains. “We’ve since pushed vaccination back to later in the summer, at least six weeks pre-tupping, and also vaccinate pre-lambing if needed. Bought-in tups are also vaccinated for lameness, clostridial diseases, and pasteurella, following the first breeding season,” he adds.

Neil has taken a tougher stance on culling – removing any ewes that go lame more than twice – and ensures prompt treatment of lame animals using antibiotics. He also hasn’t footbathed any sheep since September 2024, which saves over £300 a year in treatment costs, more than paying for the footrot vaccine. “It also reduces stress for the sheep and, by avoiding gathering them in consolidated areas, limits the spread of infection.”

As a result, lameness levels have dropped from 3% in 2022 to just 1.4% in 2025.

Big impact 

As a full-time forester, Neil adds that management is now much easier and more efficient. He has also halved his antibiotic use – from 1,200ml per year to just 400–600ml – which is now mainly used for treating mastitis.

With better lameness control and general health, ewe body condition has improved, and lamb growth is more consistent. “We used to see quite a variation in ewe condition, but now they are consistently between condition score 2.5 and 3,” he says. “That’s helped us tighten our lambing period and this year, 90% lambed within three weeks.”

More uniform lambs are also helping with marketing. “We’re hitting target weights of 35–40kg by September, but we tend to hold them as stores until Christmas when the price improves.”

Feed costs have been cut by a third, helped by more consistent ewe condition. “We used to feed ewe nuts from six to eight weeks pre-lambing. Now we don’t start until four weeks out, with ewes on silage before that.”

He has also moved his clostridial and pasteurella vaccine protocol (Heptavac P Plus) to earlier in the year, following some lamb losses throughout the summer. 

“We were vaccinating ewe lambs in September, but we are now doing it in the spring, with ewes given a booster one month pre-lambing. Once lambs are one month old, they are then given the vaccine. We were finding the occasional large lamb dead in the field, but the vaccine has stopped that and made a big improvement,” he adds.

Sum of all parts

As well as changes to vaccine protocols, Neil has double-fenced ditches to reduce fluke risk, improved boundary fencing for better biosecurity, and done soil testing to correct nutrient imbalances. After identifying excessive phosphate levels, he switched fertiliser types and is now growing more grass.

“The sum of all the parts makes a difference,” says Neil. “But it takes strong discipline to stay on top of it.”

He’s also refined how he handles vaccines – collecting and storing them in a cooler bag and using one during vaccination to maintain the correct temperature.

“By tackling lameness and other flock health issues, we’ve improved ewe condition, produced more uniform lambs, and reduced lambing and mothering problems,” says Neil. “It doesn’t happen overnight, but the long-term benefits speak for themselves.”

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