Ewe mortality in Southern Australia: data from the farmer’s perspective. Proc 9th International Sheep Veterinary Congress

Abstract

The large scale of Australian sheep farms and irregular veterinary contact make it difficult to accurately monitor and research ewe mortality, even though it causes important financial loss to the wool and lamb industries. This study aimed to describe common causes of mortality and to quantify the frequency of mortality events, using farmers’ reports of observed ewe mortality. Observations of ewe mortality from 31 Victorian sheep farms were collected over 26 months (August 2014–September 2016) through a prospective disease surveillance project. Observations were recorded as a monthly summary of the number of ewe deaths, ewe numbers at risk and descriptive causes of death (where known), and..