New app could help farmers worm fewer lambs

A new farm trial is testing whether sheep farmers can worm fewer lambs without compromising growth, welfare or flock performance.

The two-season project is evaluating SmartWorm, a decision-support app that combines EID data, lamb growth rates, weather, grazing conditions and farmer observations to identify which individual animals actually need treatment.

The trial includes regular veterinary oversight, routine worm egg counts and laboratory support from the Moredun Research Institute, which is carrying out parasite monitoring and resistance testing.