Athlone to host National Sheep Conference next week

A Teagasc National Sheep Conference will be held in Athlone next week.

The event is taking place in the Athlone Springs Hotel at 7pm on Tuesday, January 23. It will focus on nutrition management in the run up to lambing, the process of transferring the family farm, and diagnosing and managing flock health issues.

Dr Tim Keady, Teagasc Researcher, will discuss the importance of properly managing ewe nutrition during pregnancy including the consequences on subsequent flock performance.

In addition, Martin Clarke from IFAC will discuss the succession challenges facing Irish farm families covering a range of issues that will include tax, structures, income security and opportunities for planning.

He will outline the key considerations and strategies to simplify the process of farm transfers.

A session chaired by Darren Carty, of the Irish Farmers Journal, will hear first-hand from both farmers and Seamus Fagan, of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) Regional Vet Lab, Athlone, about the steps involved in diagnosing and managing flock health issues on farms.

Three sheep farmers, John O Connell, Leitrim; Patrick Dunne, Wicklow; and Brian Keane, Wexford will share their on-farm experiences of three different flock health issues they have encountered.

The conference in Athlone will be opened by Professor Frank O'Mara, Teagasc Director.

There is no charge for attending the conference and booking is not required.

For more details on the sheep conference in Athlone on January 23, and another sheep conference in Letterkenny on January 25, visit the Teagasc website at: www.teagasc.ie/sheepcon24.