The SCOPS Nematodirus Forecast is based on temperature data from 140 weather stations across the UK. It is a vital tool to help farmers, vets and advisers predict when nematodirus pose a risk to lambs. However, nematodirus eggs can hatch early in warmer, more sheltered fields and it is important to take into account variations from field to field and farm to farm.
South-facing fields tend to have an earlier hatch and, as a guide, every 100m increase in altitude will delay hatching by about seven days. So, for example, if the nearest weather station on the map is at 200m above sea level and the farm 100m above sea level, hatching could be around seven days earlier than the forecast.
If SCOPS receives notification from a vet, adviser or testing laboratory that nematodirosis (disease caused by nematrodirus worms) has been confirmed on a farm before the area was highlighted as high risk by the SCOPS Nematodirus Forecast, additional information will be provided on this page.
To notify SCOPS of confirmed disease, please email [email protected] with details of the age of lambs affected, how nematodirosis was confirmed and the first part of the postcode of the location. Confirmation is most commonly the result of a post mortem examination; please do not email with faecal egg count (FEC) results as FECs are not a reliable indicator of risk for nematodirosis. This is because the damage is done by large numbers of immature larvae that are not producing eggs. Find out more about the nematodirus lifecycle here.
