Footrot

BREEDING FOR RESISTANCE TO FOOT ROT IN SHEEP:
COMBINING MOLECULAR AND PHENOTYPIC APPROACHES
(September 2005 - August 2008)

AIM

To develop robust procedures to identify individual sheep and family groups differing in their genetic resistance to foot rot, to enable selective breeding for enhanced foot rot resistance. 

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

Foot rot currently costs the UK sheep industry around £24 million a year. As well as the discomfort in the affected sheep there is considerable cost through lost production and treatment.  Affected lambs will reduce feed intake and hence growth rate.

Foot rot is a hoof disease with under-running of the hoof. A whole flock disease management programme will control foot rot, incorporating a combination of vaccination, antibiotic treatment, foot bathing and culling, but for many producers a rigorous control scheme is difficult to implement.

HOW DID THE PROJECT WORK?

The project used both molecular techniques and conventional animal breeding strategies to investigate the links between genetic susceptibility and phenotypic expression of foot rot. The results enable the selection and further use of resistant sheep for breeding future generations.

WHO DID THE WORK?

The Research was led by Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) with support from Blackface Elite, British Texel Sheep Society, ADAS, IRS, Innovis Ltd, Roslin and MLC.

The project was jointly funded by HCC, EBLEX, QMS, DEFRA and SEERAD.

To view the Final Report, click here