Sheep producers are being urged to adopt strong biosecurity practices to prevent introducing lice into their flocks.
Lice detections at saleyards often spike in the winter months due to most sheep carrying many months of wool, allowing for greater potential exposure to lice and the ability for populations to build up, since last shearing.
In the 2023-24 financial year inspectors from the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) have made 54 detections of lice infested sheep at South Australian saleyards while undertaking inspections as part of the industry funded Sheep Lice Program.
Inspectors have noticed a consistently high level of lice detections in wool shedding sheep breeds such as dorpers, wiltipolls and damaras. In the last financial year 37% of all lice detections were in wool shedding breeds, despite those breeds representing a much lower proportion of sheep sold through saleyards.
PIRSA Sheep Lice Program Manager Jessie Thomson said greater understanding is needed around the risk of sheep lice in wool shedding breeds.
“It’s an ongoing issue that many owners of wool shedding sheep continue to incorrectly believe these breeds are not susceptible to sheep lice,” she said.
“Our recent detection data suggests that lice prevalence in wool shedders is exceeding that of more traditional wooled breeds and this maintains a reservoir of infection for the whole state’s sheep flock.”
Strong biosecurity practices, such as inspecting and isolating new sheep purchases, checking fences regularly, avoiding split shearing and inspecting stray sheep, can help producers protect their flock from sheep lice, saving the cost of treatment and lost production.
A new lice treatment in the form of a drench is on the market that may help producers with wool shedding breeds as the product can be administered to sheep with any length of wool. Previously sheep have had to be treated off shears for effective eradication of lice and traditional application methods are difficult to ensure 100% coverage in wool shedding breeds.
“Having a new treatment in drench form will aid all sheep producers to treat appropriately and effectively for lice, particularly for those breeds that are not shorn,” Ms Thomson said.
“Coordinated, effective treatment for lice across the whole sheep industry, could see a rapid reduction in prevalence and save the industry millions in terms of fleece value and lost production.”
Producers are reminded that it is an offence to have lice infested sheep in a public market or to allow them to stray. This includes putting sheep into a saleyard, even if they are in transit, and allowing sheep to stray onto roads or other neighbouring properties.
For more information contact your nearest Animal Health Officer or visit pir.sa.gov.au/sheep-lice
