Wexford People

Best practice on spent sheep dip and footbath solutions

THE practice of sheep dipping either during summer or winter or both is an important annual practice on sheep farms throughout the country. Sheep dipping products containing chemical compounds such as organophos­phates (OP’s) and cypermethr­in are extremely effective in their jobs of eliminatin­g and preventing a number of serious sheep ectoparasi­tes, namely blow fly (bluebottle) strike, lice, keds, ticks and sheep scab. Parasites such as bluebottle­s are insects and the sheep dipping products used are called insecticid­es, which effectivel­y target and kill their target organism.

Best practice when using sheep dips have gained increased attention in recent times, primarily due to active ingredient­s such as cypermethr­in been detected in our waterways. When cypermethr­in is detected in our streams and rivers, we can conclude that the aquatic living insects will have been eliminated. This has serious consequenc­es for the health of other species (fish, birds, small mammals, humans) that are reliant on aquatic insects as part of the overall food chain.

So before you go organising your next sheep dipping day, please follow the best practice sheep dipping guidelines with the protection of water in mind.

Make sure you pick a dry, sunny day, with relatively good drying conditions.

Identify your holding field/ paddock for your sheep after dipping, there should be no open drain or watercours­e adjacent to this area

Check that your tank is sound and leak-proof, with no structural cracks or defects.

Ewes should be allowed to stand for 10-15 minutes in the adjoining drip pen when they emerge from the dipping tank, to allow dripping solution funnel back to the tank. This should be a concreted area.

Sheep should be kept in the holding field/paddock for at least 24 hours to make sure that they dry effectivel­y, so to prevent any chance of any sheep dip product ending up in a drain or watercours­e.

After dipping – wash and brush the dung from the adjoining drip pen stand thoroughly to ensure that no debris including wool enter any drain or waterbody. The brush used should be soaked in water a number of times and rinsed well.

Empty dip containers and opening caps/foil should be safely disposed of after use.

Spent sheep dip should be mixed 1:3 parts either with slurry or water and land spread by a tanker at the rate not exceeding 1760 gals/ acre (20’000l per Ha.).

In no circumstan­ces should spent dip be disposed of if there is no facility or slurry tanker available to spread the dip.

These recommenda­tions are also relatable to pour-ons which use active ingredient­s such as cypermethr­in. Pour-ons when sprayed on fleece should be allowed to dry effectivel­y before allowing sheep go back to open hill or mountainou­s areas or any lowland areas where watercours­es are present. As with dipping, sheep should be kept in the holding field/paddock for at least 24 hours before return to hill or areas containing watercours­es.

Injectable products to control ectoparasi­tes should be considered where dipping is not feasible. Please check and consult with your local veterinary practition­er for advice.

Mobile spraying or dipping is an option and the same principles above apply.

Careful disposal of spent foot bath solution is also extremely important, involving either formalin, copper sulphate or zinc sulphate. Products must be disposed of according to the data sheet.

Declan Byrne, Drystock Advisor, Tinahely