Moredun Magazine Spring/Summer 2022 - Issue 23

Moredun ISSUE 23

| SPRING/SUMMER 2022

magazine

Moredun Centenary celebration with HRH The Princess Royal Aquaculture health research BBC Any Questions

www.moredun.org.uk

Contents

Director’s comment

In this Issue: p1

BBC - Any Questions

p2

News

p3

Tackling Toxoplasmosis

p4

Equine Grass Sickness Research Crucible

p5

SPPIRIT launch

p6

Centenary Event – HRH visits Moredun

p8

Cardiomyopathy Syndrome

p9

Sheep Scab Project

p10

Out and About

p12

Meet Moredun’s newest recruits

p13

Livestock Keepers farming life book

Welcome to the Spring-Summer 2022 edition of the Moredun Magazine! Up in Scotland we are welcoming the warmer weather and re-emerging back into ‘normal’ life after the lifting of the last COVID-19 restrictions.

We were delighted to finally pay tribute to our Centenary year in an official capacity in November 2021, with a showcase of our research and an on-site visit from HRH The Princess Royal. During this event we were also able to present special awards to two longstanding members of the Moredun Foundation – find out more on p.6-7.

The Moredun team have been getting back into the swing of travelling the length

and breadth of the country to share our work, and we’re happy to have a summer of shows coming up – including a return to the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh in June. For more details, go to p.10-11.

As something that’s been in the pipeline for a few years now, we are really excited to be able to launch a very special book at the Royal Highland Show that will be available to purchase at our events and in our online shop (www.moredun.org.uk/shop). ‘Livestock Keepers’ will take you on a striking visual journey through the Scottish farming industry, giving you the real stories behind the people who make it work. Take a sneak peak on p.13.

On the research front, our Equine Grass Sickness team have been busy sharing knowledge with vets, environmental scientists and other biologists with the intent of coming up with new ideas and approaches to tackle this devastating disease (p.4). We have also been involved in setting up a new collaborative network, SPPIRIT, that will focus on supporting parasitology research (p.5). We also have updates for you on Cardiomyopathy Syndrome, a significant viral disease of Atlantic salmon (p.8) and our sheep scab project “For Flock’s Sake” (p.9).

Enjoy the longer days, and we hope to see you on the road soon.

Julie Fitzpatrick Scientific Director and Chief Executive

Moredun Magazine Moredun magazine is produced twice a year and is available free of charge.

Designed and Produced by Moredun Communications Centre ©2022.

All images, unless otherwise stated, are ©Moredun.

To subscribe, contact: Moredun Communications Team, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Penicuik, Midlothian EH26 0PZ

Moredun Magazine | Spring/Summer 2022

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Please contact: Moredun Communications Team, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Penicuik, Midlothian EH26 0PZ tel: +44 (0)131 445 5111 fax:+44 (0)131 445 6111 email: info@moredun.org.uk web: www.moredun.org.uk @MoredunComms

The Moredun Foundation is a company limited by guarantee, registered in Scotland No. SC151865.

The Moredun Foundation is a charity registered in Scotland, No: SC022515 Address: Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Penicuik, Midlothian EH26 0PZ Cover image: Photo: Shutterstock

NEWS

Moredun hosts BBC Radio 4 “Any Questions?”

On Friday 4th March, Moredun were privileged to be asked to host the BBC Radio 4 panel show “Any Questions?” Chris Mason presented political debate and discussion with a panel made up of Scottish Labour MSP Katy Clark, Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture Angus Robertson MSP, the Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack MP and the former BBC Moscow Correspondent, author and former adviser to the Kremlin Angus Roxburgh.

Professor Lee Innes, Director of Communications at Moredun says: “We were delighted to host the BBC Any Questions team at Moredun and it was so interesting to see how the programme is put together behind the scenes and during the live

From L to R: Alister Jack; Angus Robertson; Chris Mason; Angus Roxburgh and Katy Clark.

recording. It is a brilliant format and really gives

Audience members had thought of challenging

people the opportunity to ask questions directly to

and thought-provoking questions exploring

politicians face to face.”

the implications of the week’s news and we are

Show Producer Camellia Sinclair, says:

grateful to all who attended for their engagement

“The Moredun Foundation were brilliant

with the programme.Thank you to the Moredun

hosts of ‘Any Questions’ – everything had been

Foundation.”

considered and the staff were so helpful. It was a privilege to be hosted by the venue. The audience

You can listen to the show online at:

submitted a fascinating mix of questions which

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/

were dominated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

m0014xyb

BBC Any Questions audience at Moredun.

Moredun Magazine | Spring/Summer 2022

1

News Welsh Regional Board Chairman Wins Award

John Scott received an OBE in the New Year’s Honours 2022 Many congratulations to Moredun Fellow and Regional Advisor John Scott on receiving an OBE in the New Years Honours 2022.

John Scott OBE.

Scottish Farmer John Scott was an MSP for 21 years. Mr Scott of Ballantrae, Ayrshire, is Scotland’s longest serving Conservative MSP, narrowly missing out on re-election in May 2021 – but he was involved in campaigning on behalf of farmers long before his career in Holyrood.

Prior to his political career, he served as the convenor of NFUS Hill Farming Committee and was one of the pioneers of Farmers’ Markets, setting up Scotland’s second market in Ayr, in July 1999, then founding the Scottish Association of Farmers Markets with the help of Douglas Watson and James Graham from SAOS.

John Yeomans in centre.

Congratulations to John Yeomans Chairman of the Welsh regional board for winning the ‘Grassland Manager of the Year 2022’ award.

John and Sarah Yeomans run a predominately grassland 118 hectare farm in Powys. It is home to a flock of Beulah sheep and a herd of pedigree Limousin cattle which he supplies to local markets. Farm soils undergo regular testing to identify any specific areas of land which may require supplementary treatments.

To prevent the overuse of chemicals John utilises spot spraying of herbicides.

Conservation is the key with woodland development to the fore to sequester carbon and local beekeepers encouraged to house their bees on the farm.

The National Arable and Grassland Awards was a great evening held on Thursday 24th February 2022 at the Hilton London Bankside, recognising our fantastic growers and highlighting their achievements in key areas of crop production, land management, environmental responsibility and innovation.

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Moredun Magazine | Spring/Summer 2022

Gareth Baird wins Ed Rainy Brown Memorial Award The 2022 Ed Rainy Brown Memorial Award has been presented to Gareth Baird, Chairman of the Moredun Foundation, for his truly exceptional service to co-operation and collaboration in farming, food, and rural Scotland. Gareth was presented with the award at the Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society (SAOS) Conference Dinner at Dunblane Hydro on Thursday 31st March by Katy Rainy Brown.

Introducing him as the recipient of the award, SAOS Chairman John Hutcheson explained how Gareth’s involvement had been to the great benefit of a host of co-ops and

food, farming and rural organisations. He advocated that SAOS is particularly fortunate to have benefitted from Gareth’s wisdom and good judgement, as well as his passion and enthusiasm, over the last four decades.

NEWS

Tackling Toxoplasmosis: A new animated film about the world’s most successful parasite translation of the narration. Toxoplasmosis occurs widely in Brazil, and the video will be an incredible educational tool for different audiences. It is clear, light in tone and thoroughly informative. We hope it will increase awareness regarding this significant disease”.

This animation was funded by UKRI, FAPESP (grant #2019/21697-6) and the Moredun Foundation and can be found at: https:// moredun.org.uk/resources/videos/tackling_ toxoplasmosis

Tackling toxoplasmosis animation.

James Armour CBE (1929-2021)

Moredun, in collaboration with the University of São Paulo, UKRI and FAPESP, have released a new and exciting short animation in their entertaining animation series to help inform and educate people about a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii.

Tackling Toxoplasmosis is a fun and engaging animation describing the life cycle, transmission routes and control options for a tiny parasite of huge veterinary and public health importance which has been described as the world’s most successful parasite.

The animation was developed as part of a research project funded by BBSRC (UKRI) and FAPESP (São Paulo Research Foundation, Brazil) looking at differences in virulence in Toxoplasma strains.

Toxoplasma gondii is widespread and can infect all warm-blooded animals, yet many people have never heard of it and do not know how it is spread. The parasite is shed in the faeces of cats and can cause abortion in sheep, leading to economic losses for farmers.

Toxoplasma is also a public health problem as it can be transmitted to people through consumption of undercooked infected meat and contaminated water. In some parts of the world, such as South America, strains of the parasite can cause severe disease, even in healthy people.

Although it is a widespread parasite, there are ways to control and prevent infection in people and animals. Education is key, and this animation outlines the control options available for farmers to prevent infection in their livestock, and for people to avoid infection from contaminated food or water.

Created by the very talented team at Ping Creates, led by Selina Wagner, this animation, which is available in English and Portuguese, simplifies the complex life cycle of Toxoplasma and describes the different ways to prevent infection. It also highlights the current research on Toxoplasma being undertaken by scientists at Moredun and the University of São Paulo.

Dr. Clare Hamilton, Project Lead on BBSRC-FAPESP grant said: “We really enjoyed working with Selina and her team, and they have done a superb job creating a fun and engaging animation. The life cycle and transmission routes of Toxoplasma can be quite complicated, but the animation makes it easy to follow and gets all the key points across. It is a fantastic educational resource for us to share with farmers, stakeholders, and members of the public, both in the UK and Brazil.”

Dr. Hilda Fátima Jesus Pena, Principal Scientist at University of São Paulo, and CoInvestigator on the BBSRC-FAPESP grant said: “Ping Creates did a really great job with this animated video. We enjoyed contributing ideas to the video and helping with the Brazilian Portuguese

Moredun colleagues past and present were very sad to learn of the death of Sir James (Jimmy) Armour CBE, who was chairman of Moredun Research Institute from 2000-2004.

Jimmy was a world renowned Veterinary Parasitologist spending much of his career at the University of Glasgow and his early career working for the colonial veterinary service in Nigeria. His research led to many new diagnostic tests and treatments for parasitic diseases having a significant impact both in UK and internationally.

He was also passionate about teaching and encouraging the next generation of veterinarians and researchers and he has left a great legacy in promoting the science of Parasitology. He was knighted in 1995 in recognition of his contribution to veterinary science and education.

Moredun Magazine | Spring/Summer 2022

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News Equine Grass Sickness Research Crucible – Scientists gather to solve a 100 year mystery

Multi-disciplinary break out discussions.

ownership and sport to provide the funding Participants at the Crucible event.

we need to bring an end to the misery of Equine Grass Sickness.”

Kate Thompson, from the Equine Grass

Equine Grass Sickness is a devastating disease affecting horses with no known cause, and no known cure. Healthy sports, leisure and family horses can be found dead in their fields and stables with no explanation. In other cases, horses are found in a depressed state which quickly results in the inability to swallow and digest forage. Most cases result in euthanasia. Some horses do survive but require years of rehabilitation. A minority go back to a full, healthy and productive life.

On 25th March 2022, more than 30 scientists with no previous experience of Equine Grass Sickness, gathered at the Moredun Research Institute for a day exploring new approaches to the disease. Experts in veterinary immunology, genetics, molecular biology, bacteriology and pathology along with environmental scientists from areas such as soil, grassland and catchment science and plant health and mycology specialists, convened for a day of discussion and debate.

Over eight hours the volunteer scientists, with a reputation for engaging new technology in their own research, heard from

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Moredun Magazine | Spring/Summer 2022

experts in the field before being put into multidisciplinary groups to discuss new areas for research focus.

Event organiser and Moredun’s Principal Investigator, Dr Beth Wells believes the event will mark a watershed in the century old quest to find a solution to the Equine Grass Sickness mystery.

“Bringing together so many experts in different disciplines in one room, for one day, to discuss an animal disease they have no previous knowledge of is unique. Their input is a game-changer in terms of generating new areas for research or new technologies that can revive previous research.

The Equine Grass Sickness Fund needs more funding to support research in new areas. We appeal to the industries that benefit from equine

Sickness Fund, is optimistic that EGS can become a disease of the past.

“I am so grateful for Moredun Research Institute taking the lead with such an innovative and productive event. We couldn’t have done it without the support of SEFARI Gateway – the knowledge exchange hub for the Scottish Environment Food and Agriculture Research Institutes. I genuinely feel we are at the beginning of the end of a century of research to find a solution to something that is the worst fear of every horse owner.”

Kathy Geyer, Moredun Research Fellow, who is managing the Equine Grass Sickness Biobank, hopes today’s event and subsequent awareness within the scientific community will result in many more samples to progress the research.

“The event is just the start of new relationships with people and organisations across the scientific and equine community. It is only through the sharing of knowledge, experience and samples that we will be able to achieve the goal of eradicating Equine Grass Sickness, not just in Scotland but across the world.”

For more information about Equine Grass Sickness, visit: https://www.grasssickness.

Developing new research ideas.

org.uk/

NEWS

SPPIRIT launch The Moredun Research Institute, alongside the Universities of Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow, have formed a new and exciting network, called Scottish Parasitology Partnership in Research, Innovation, and Training (SPPIRIT), to support Scotland’s eminent parasitology research.

Moredun Research Fellow and SPPIRIT committee member Dr David Smith highlights Scotland’s long contribution to parasitology, the platform this new network will offer to early career researchers and the success of the recent SPPIRIT launch event.

Scotland has a strong legacy as a worldclass place for parasitology research. Dr Patrick Manson is viewed as the “Father of Tropical Medicine and vector-borne disease” for his work on mosquito-transmitted filarial worms and gives his name to the human blood fluke and causative agent of one of the world’s major Neglected Tropical Diseases, Schistosoma mansoni. In addition, Dr Ronald Ross was the first British Nobel Laureate for his work on malaria transmission. Dr Muriel Robertson described the life cycle of trypanosomes, the causal agents of Sleeping Sickness and Chagas Disease. Dr William Leishman put his name to a related parasite of medical and veterinary importance, Leishmania, and Dr William Hutchison was the first British researcher to receive the Robert Koch medal, for his work on toxoplasmosis in which he discovered that felines were the definitive host of the parasite.

Even though these examples of eminent parasitology research occurred as far back as the 1800s, the work continues.

Launch of the network in Glasgow.

In the more recent past, Scotland has produced such luminaries in veterinary parasitology as Sir James Armour and team at the Glasgow Vet School. Furthermore, Scotland has produced the only two antiworm vaccines in the world, namely Dictol for lungworm (Glasgow), and Barbervax for Haemonchus contortus, also known as the barber’s pole worm (Moredun).

Scotland’s historic and continued tradition as a global leader in parasitology is also supported by important infrastructure to accommodate this area of scientific research, being home to specialist long-standing research institutes dedicated to infectious disease research, such as The Moredun Research Institute and The Roslin Institute.

In addition, there is a Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology in the west in Glasgow and a Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research in the east in Dundee, so the legacy continues.

Collectively, our parasitologists cover every aspect of parasitology research, from ecology and evolution, to molecular and cell biology, host-parasite interactions, therapeutic development, and disease diagnostics. We have researchers working on multicellular parasitic worms, ticks and mites, to those studying single-celled protozoan parasites which includes the parasites that cause malaria, cryptosporidiosis, toxoplasmosis, leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis. We also span human, animal and plant parasites. You name it, it’s here.

Scotland is therefore an ideal base for parasitologists from different disciplines and backgrounds to network with one another.

It is also important to maintain our strong reputation for parasitology research and to ensure the next generation of parasitologists are provided with suitable platforms that will facilitate networking between researchers and foster strategic collaborations. Hence “SPPIRIT”, a new parasitology network dedicated to Early Career Researchers (ECRs) based in Scotland has been established.

The aim of this network is to empower our ECRs through research and training events, access to networking platforms and resource provision to strengthen real collaboration.

As mentioned above, Scotland is home to a wealth of experienced researchers and impressive facilities and to get the most out

Moredun scientists attending SPPIRIT.

of these it is essential that they are linked up through an actively engaged network.

The SPPRIT launch event took place on Wednesday 30th March at the Grosvenor Hotel in Glasgow and was attended by over 100 participants, predominantly ECRs. The day included a number of sessions, starting with what SPPIRIT is and the goals of the network.

This was followed by talks from Heads of Departments at the different institutes, providing an overview of their department’s research strengths, facilities and how they support ECRs. This was followed by sessions specifically geared towards ECRs on applying for fellowships, initiating and sustaining collaborations and public engagement.

Overall, the launch event was a great success and most importantly fueled new interactions between enthusiastic researchers.

The next SPPIRIT event will be a research symposium in which ECRs will have a platform to present their research to each other as independent researchers. It is anticipated that this will foster strategic collaborations between attendees and hopefully be the seed for new and potentially ground-breaking projects in parasitology that will propel the careers of impressive, talented early career parasitologists and ensure Scotland’s worldleading parasitology legacy continues.

The SPPIRIT Committee: Dr David Smith at The Moredun Research Institute Dr Juan Quintana, Dr Rosalind Laing, Dr Andrew MacLean, Dr Matthew Sinton and Dr Lilach Sheiner at the University of Glasgow Dr Mattie Pawlowic, Dr Richard Wall and Dr Melanie Ridgway at the University of Dundee Dr Emma Briggs and Dr Sarah Reece at the University of Edinburgh

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5

Centenary

✶

✶✶

Centenary Event with HRH The Princess Royal

HRH The Princess Royal meets the COVID-19 testing team.

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal attended a special event held on Wednesday 24th November at The Moredun Foundation to celebrate 100 years of excellence in animal health research HRH The Princess Royal, Patron of the Moredun Foundation for over 30 years, congratulated the organisation for all the achievements in developing innovative and practical solutions to prevent and control infectious diseases of livestock on the farm.

She also emphasised the importance of communicating new science and technology effectively to bring benefit to as many people as possible and commended the new Moredun Centenary Fellowship scheme to

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HRH The Princess Royal unveils the Centenary plaque with Mr Gareth Baird.

CENTENARY

offer opportunities to talented early career researchers to progress new ideas and develop new solutions to combat disease.

The other speakers at the event included, Mr Mungo Guthrie, Board Member who spoke about the unique relationship between farmers and scientists that has been Moredun’s strength over the years; Dr Peter Nettleon, Moredun Fellow MBE giving his perspective of starting as a veterinary virologist over 50 years ago at Moredun; Dr Francesca Chianini talking about the power of pathology in understanding the causes of disease; Dr Alasdair Nisbet, Director of Research and Innovation at Moredun, talking about past and future vaccine development and Dr Kathy Geyer, a new Research Fellow at Moredun talking about a new project to find the cause of Equine Grass Sickness.

HRH The Princess Royal presented awards to previous Deputy Director of Moredun Research Institute Professor Willie Donachie and Chairman of the Moredun Foundation Ian Duncan Millar. Ian Duncan Millar was awarded Fellowship of the Moredun Foundation and Ian and Willie both received Moredun Centenary Awards for outstanding contribution to the Moredun Foundation.

The Princess was invited to unveil a plaque to commemorate Moredun’s Centenary by Mr Gareth Baird, Chairman of the Moredun Foundation who said: “We are delighted and honoured to welcome Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal to this special event to celebrate the contribution Moredun has made to the livestock industry over one hundred years and to look to some of the exciting new developments going forward. Science and research is needed now more than ever to help combat disease and improve the health of animals, people and our environment and I am confident that Moredun will continue to deliver practical science solutions to make a significant impact not only in UK but across the world”.

During the visit, The Princess Royal met guests including a group of post-graduate students and early career scientists along with those representing the farming industry, veterinary surveillance, land managers, government and policy groups, Moredun Scientific, Pentlands Science Park and the Equine Grass Sickness Fund.

Her Royal Highness also participated in a private tour of Moredun’s laboratories to speak first hand to the scientists involved in

HRH The Princess Royal meeting scientists working on 3D organoids.

developing 3D organoid cultures and those involved in collaborating with the NHS to provide extra capacity for SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Before leaving, the Princess opened the new Moredun Mobile Laboratory and

Education outreach bus that was designed and built to celebrate Moredun’s Centenary and is a nod to Moredun’s past as the first mobile laboratory was commissioned in 1926 to conduct epidemiology work on farms in Scotland.

Professor Willie Donachie and Mr Ian Duncan Millar.

Moredun Magazine | Spring/Summer 2022

7

Research Cardiomyopathy Syndrome, a significant viral disease of Atlantic salmon

Infected salmon tissue.

Atlantic salmon is a highly valued aquaculture product, with Scotland being the third-largest producer of Atlantic salmon after Norway and Chile.

Atlantic salmon is the largest food export for both Scotland and the UK, with an annual value worth £640 million. The industry also has an important social impact by creating over 3000 jobs directly related to fish production in many of the remote regions of Scotland, including Orkney, Shetland and the Hebrides. In 2019, 203,881 tonnes of Atlantic salmon were produced in Scotland, representing an increase of 30% on the previous year’s production. According to Salmon Scotland, more than £485 million worth of Atlantic salmon was exported in the first three quarters of 2021, exceeding all the exports in 2020.

Over the last 15 years, the industry has seen an increase in viral cardiomyopathies.

These include pancreas disease (PD) caused by salmonid alphavirus (SAV), cardiomyopathy syndrome (CMS) caused by piscine myocarditis virus (PMCV), and heart and skeletal muscle inflammation (HSMI) caused by piscine orthoreovirus (PRV). These viruses can be present as co-infections and lead to lesions in both the myocardium of the heart and/or skeletal muscle.

In Norway, the world’s largest Atlantic salmon producer, these viral cardiomyopathies have been identified as the three most important viral diseases for Atlantic salmon

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Moredun Magazine | Spring/Summer 2022

production, with CMS and HSMI as the second and third most important cause of economic loss to the industry after sea lice. PD is the only disease for which there is a commercial vaccine, which has lowered the economic impact of this disease. In Scotland, cases of HSMI are less frequently reported and CMS is regarded as the second most important disease after sea lice. The biggest economic impact of CMS comes from the sudden death of fish due to heart failure in apparently healthy harvest-sized fish.

Knowledge relating to PMCV is limited because it is very difficult to culture in the laboratory. This has prevented the development of an inactivated vaccine and hampered research related to this pathogen.

The only tools available currently for salmon farmers are mitigation strategies to reduce stock losses that include reducing handling and stocking densities of the fish. Early diagnosis of CMS is vital to allow salmon producers to take steps to avoid losses during the late stages of the production cycle. Currently, diagnosis of CMS is based on clinical signs, histopathology and RT-qPCR, which require lethal sampling of valuable, market-size fish.

The identification of proteins present in the serum of fish with CMS may be a useful indicator of early stages of the disease. In human and veterinary medicine, cardiac diseases are detected with cardiac biomarkers, measured using commercial serological tests.

These types of tests are almost non-existent for aquaculture. Knowledge of biomarkers associated with cardiac disease in Atlantic salmon is limited but is essential for the

development of serological tools to detect cardiac disease in farmed fish.

The Aquaculture Research Group at Moredun Research Institute and Cooke Aquaculture Scotland collaborated to increase knowledge and understanding in this area, assessing the suitability of commercially available troponin (involved in muscle contraction) detection kits and identifying novel cardiac biomarkers. The commercially available kits tested proved unsuitable for this purpose and there was a requirement to identify and develop new biomarker tests for cardiomyopathies in Atlantic salmon. The Group obtained funding from the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) to do this with involvement from additional scientists at the Royal Dick Vet School at Edinburgh, Life Diagnostic Ltd., a leading company developing serology tests for veterinary biomarkers, and Benchmark Genetics, a leading aquaculture breeding company. A panel of potential cardiac biomarkers were ascertained for the identification of CMS that were tested using both field samples and samples from experimentally infected fish.

In the current follow-on project, also funded by SAIC, the Aquaculture Research Group are assessing if these markers can identify early-stage CMS in the field (during the production cycle) and to see if they can be used to diagnose other cardiomyopathies (PD and HSMI). Scientists at University of Glasgow have joined the consortium to help validate the use of these biomarkers.

Proteomic and genomic analysis on sera and heart samples were also performed from PMCV–infected fish, respectively, with the aim of increasing understanding of the immunological and physiological responses of Atlantic salmon to PMCV infection and to identify additional biomarkers to create a comprehensive serological diagnostic panel for cardiomyopathies in Atlantic salmon.

For more information, please contact Janina Costa: Janina.Costa@moredun.ac.uk

RESEARCH

Sheep Scab Project Forges Ahead ‘For Flock’s Sake – Let’s Stop Scab Together’ a Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) funded sheep scab project reaches its target of 300 farmers.

the aim within each cluster being to foster cooperation in the control of scab.

Running over two years, the project offers a great opportunity for farmers to work together, with their local vets and the project coordinators, to stamp out this costly

In January 2021, funding was awarded by Defra through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development for a project designed to demonstrate the effectiveness of a community-led approach to improve the control of sheep scab. The project focuses on three hotspot areas in England, where scab is highly prevalent: The South West (coordinated by the National Sheep Association); The Midlands (coordinated by ADAS) and The North West (coordinated by the Cumbrian Farmers Network). Within each of the three hotspots, there are a number of ‘clusters’ of farms that either share common boundaries or use the same common grazing, with

disease, which is of high welfare concern. A full complement of 300 participating farmers have now signed up to a unique combination of on-farm advice, best practice training and free blood testing using the sheep scab ELISA test developed by Moredun and available through Biobest Laboratories Ltd. This includes the costs of visits by their local vet to allow two sets of blood samples for ELISA testing, plus a face-to-face advisory visit by the vet for each farm to discuss scab control and biosecurity. A truly win-win situation!

This project has filled an important gap in sheep scab control, with an incredible response from the farmers. Dr Stewart Burgess of

the Moredun Research Institute, who leads the project alongside Professor Richard Wall (University of Bristol) and Lesley Stubbings (Independent sheep consultant) said: “The levels of engagement and enthusiasm have been really promising and in some clusters the coordinators have more farmers than can be funded under current budgets. The local vets have responded fantastically to the project, in many cases they are leading their own clusters of farmers and have been instrumental in encouraging their clients to get involved.

By the end of November 2021, we had already processed over 200 sets of blood testing (around 3,000 samples) with results reported back to the coordinators and vets. Discussions regarding coordination of treatments are now taking place in many areas, with farmers being encouraged to treat with an organophosphate plunge dip where scab has been diagnosed and where it is possible to do so.”

The ELISA blood test results for each farm are carefully analysed by the farmer’s vet in relation to the scab-history of the farm in question and its neighbours, before advice is given about whether treatment, or follow up monitoring and inspection, are required. The key aspects of this approach are communication, cooperation and coordination within clusters, says Professor Richard Wall, whose work on sheep scab underpins the hotspot approach.

“With such a high number of farmers wanting to take part we are very hopeful that at the end of the current project we will have a legacy of experience that can be used in other parts of the country.”

Karen Swindlehurst is a vet in North Yorkshire who is coordinating two clusters.

“The farmers in my clusters are really keen to be involved and have come together to share results and plan treatments. We started blood testing at the summer gather and around 20% have proven to be positive so far. It has been an amazing response and discussions have really opened up between neighbours about how they can coordinate treatments. As their Vet, the project also gives me the opportunity to sit down with them and talk through issues such as biosecurity and opening up the way to more proactive health planning in the future”.

For more information on this project, please contact Stewart Burgess: stewart.burgess@moredun.ac.uk

Moredun Magazine | Spring/Summer 2022

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Out and About Ruminant Health & Welfare launch report highlighting immediate gains of ruminant health on methane emissions

Moredun were delighted to be asked by the Ruminant Health & Welfare (RH&W) Group to help pull together a new report, ‘Acting on methane’, highlighting the role reducing key endemic diseases can play in reducing methane emissions from the ruminant sector. The Report was prompted in the wake of the COP26 Methane Pledge, where ~100 countries agreed to reduce their methane emissions by 30% by 2030, and was based on discussions at RH&W at UK level, and also at the Livestock Health and Green House Gas stakeholder group, led by Moredun, over recent years.

There has been some very exciting recent research and promising advances in ‘breeding and feeding’ strategies to help reduce emissions, but these will take some time to be

PhD day

widely adopted by the industry. Improving livestock health is something farmers can do now, with the tools and resources we already have available e.g., diagnostic tests, vaccine programmes, improved biosecurity and disease control strategies. Reducing the burden of endemic disease contributes to improved productivity on livestock farms through better feed conversion efficiency, live weight gain, and less involuntary culling. High herd and flock health status should also have spin-off benefits for animal welfare and on-farm economics and represents a platform for optimal expression of any novel GHG mitigation strategies.

The Report outlines ‘why methane and why now?’, and how individual health conditions diseases and syndromes impact on methane emissions. The report is designed to provide a starting point for discussions between farmers and vets, or animal health advisors, about the health status of their herd or flocks with methane reductions in mind. We also hope the Report will provide industry and government policy teams with options to help encourage best practice to reduce emissions from the sector, for example, targeting 1-2 key diseases or syndromes at individual

farm-level, and considering potential national disease control or eradication schemes, for example, sheep scab or Johne’s Disease.

Previous discussions around livestock health and GHGs have focused on improving production efficiency and GHG emissions intensity, we now need to consider how we actually reduce emissions on-farm, and not simply through reducing livestock numbers, so a bit of a change in mindset and messaging is required. We hope the ‘Acting on methane’ Report will go some way towards initiating those discussions and appropriate action across the ruminant sector!

The Report was officially launched on April 25th 2022, and is available to download here

• Cassandra McGregor - Old Macdonald had a farm, but did they also have Bz-resistance?

• Pia Formisano - Establishing recombinant protein ELISA to aid diagnosis and prevalence studies of human babesiosis, an emerging disease in Scotland • Charlotte Winspear - Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis – a pain in the gut!

• Karen Keegan - Nanopore sequencing to investigate zoonosis and antimicrobial resistance in wildlife and livestock: Spotlight on the greylag goose.

• Wan Chen - Transcriptomic analysis of the blood-fed poultry red mite, Dermanyssus gallinae.

Left to right: Wan Chen, Cassandra McGregor and Charlotte Winspear.

On 28th April 2022, Moredun’s PhD students presented their research to each other and other members of the Institute

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Moredun Magazine | Spring/Summer 2022

• Michelle Reeves - The behaviour and welfare impact of parasitism in sheep.

• Eilidh Geddes - Investigating strategies to optimise gastrointestinal nematode control on Scottish hill and upland sheep farms.

• Saniya Crouch - To per-cyst or not: unravelling the secrets behind an attenuated Toxoplasma strain.

https://ruminanthw.org.uk/ actingonmethane/).

Prizes were awarded to Wan Chen (1st prize), Cassandra McGregor (2nd prize) and Charlotte Winspear (3rd prize) for their presentations.

Wan and Cassandra will now represent Moredun at the Science for Life event this autumn, an annual competition for PhD students from Scottish government funded research institutes.

Many thanks to Stewart Burgess for organising, and to Tom McNeilly and Eleanor Watson for chairing the sessions.

OUT AND ABOUT

Forthcoming Shows & Events 2022 We’re back on the road this summer, so do come and visit us and see the Moredun Mobile Laboratory and Education outeach bus.

Wednesday 1st June NSA Scotsheep, Dundee

Wednesday 27th July NSA Sheep Event, Malvern

https://www.nationalsheep.org.uk/nsa-

https://www.nationalsheep.org.uk/

scotland/scotsheep/

nsa-sheep-event/

Thursday 23rd -- Sunday 26th June Royal Highland Show, Edinburgh https://www.royalhighlandshow.org/

Moredun sponsors inaugural A3 Scotland conference

A3 Scotland 2022, held on 26-27th April 2022, was an inaugural not-for-profit conference for the Animal Health, Agritech and Aquaculture (AAA) sectors to encourage innovation, investment and collaboration. The Moredun Group was a Silver Sponsor of the event, with Moredun Scientific exhibiting over the two days.

The optimisation of animal health, promotion of sustainable food security and stimulation of economic growth, both locally and internationally, make a major contribution towards the ambition to achieve net zero carbon emissions from UK agriculture by 2040, underlying the urgent need to work collaboratively to address the challenges of climate change.

Industry, investors, scientists and government officials from all over the world gathered in Edinburgh to seek strategic partnerships and to discover the latest in R&D.

A packed 2-day programme featured influential and expert speakers across each of the sectors, with a variety of informative sessions, panel discussions and networking opportunities. The programme also offered optional pre and post conference tours, showcasing some of the world-class research facilities and expertise located in Central and Highlands Scotland.

Read some thoughts and view images from the event on Twitter under the hashtag #A3Scotland. You can also still watch our ‘teaser’ video, showcasing some of Moredun’s research highlights, on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/16Qm9tH5oNg

Rhona MacDonald showcasing Moredun’s research at A3 Scotland.

Aquaculture UK

Moredun Scientific’s Aquaculture team at Aquaculture UK in Aviemore.

In May, Moredun’s aquaculture team welcomed the return of Aquaculture UK, the UK’s largest tradeshow for the aquaculture community.

Moredun Scientific hosted a stand at the trade exhibition to showcase their portfolio of disease models and research facilities available for the assessment of fish health products.

The programme included recent scientific breakthroughs in fish health and welfare, genetic selection and cleaner fish breeding.

Moredun Research Institute’s work on the identification of biomarkers for fish cardiac disease was presented during the Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre’s session on innovation with impact.

The Aquaculture Awards celebrated achievements across the industry in areas such as environmental impact, innovation and animal welfare. We look forward to further collaboration to continue to address these important topics.

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Spotlight Meet Moredun’s newest recruits Stephen Fitzgerald

Karen Keegan

Wan Chen

Research Fellow

PhD student

PhD student

What is your role?

Describe your research:

Describe your research:

My research focuses on bacterial pathogens that cause disease in both livestock and humans. Using high-throughput genetic screening technologies, such as CRISPR and TraDIS, and traditional molecular approaches, I aim to understand how bacteria are transmitted to, colonize and cause disease in their animal hosts. By understanding these mechanisms my goal is to identify key bacterial and host factors with potential for use as vaccine candidates or therapeutic targets.

Currently I am investigating Coxiella burnetti, a major cause of abortions in livestock and the causative agent of Q-Fever in humans.

I’m the third year PhD student working on poultry red mite (Dermanyssus gallinae).

Infestation of laying hen houses with poultry red mites causes major animal welfare and economic problems for the egg-producing industry worldwide, costing in excess of €231 million per year in the EU alone in control and production losses. There is a demand for novel methods of control -- my thesis will focus on identifying the blood meal digestion mechanisms in the poultry red mite and identifying key genes for gene expression knockdown, which could provide a more sustainable pest control approach for the layer industry.

If you could complete one item on your bucket list, what would it be?

I am a first year EASTBIO PhD student in the disease control department, working on the detection of zoonotic pathogens and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in wildlife and livestock. My PhD will focus on evaluating the use of nanopore genomic sequencing to help detect potential on-farm transmission of zoonotic pathogens and AMR between cattle and wild geese. I will also be looking at microbial contamination risk in the marine environment by studying the microbiomes of grey seals, a species that can act as a sentinel for marine ecosystem health. This PhD includes lab, field and bioinformatics work, so I am looking forward to developing lots of skills over the next four years while studying a topic that fascinates me.

I have a very long bucket list but top of the pile would be to visit Angel Falls in Venezuela... maybe even abseil down it!

What did you want to be when you grew up as a child

Funny enough, when I was a child, I wanted to be a journalist or news anchor, which is nowhere similar to what I do now. I only developed the interests in science when I was in secondary school, and since then I have been working towards a career in science.

I wanted to be a zoologist, so the fact that I now study disease transmission in wildlife and livestock is very rewarding!

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Moredun Magazine | Spring/Summer 2022

What did you want to be when you grew up as a child

NEWS

Livestock Keepers - farming life book

A few years ago, Moredun developed a project called Livestock Keepers, funded by the Scottish Government’s Talking Science programme, to help tell the stories of Scottish livestock farmers and their enterprises. We achieved this with amazing images taken by talented professional photographer, Kevin McCollum, and recorded audio from the keepers about their lives with livestock. This produced a fascinating exhibition which travelled round Scotland to a range of events and premises, including the Scottish Parliament, the Royal Highland Show and the Lonach Highland Gathering, to name but a few.

Scotland has a long tradition of livestock keeping. As well as providing a secure, natural and sustainable source of protein, livestock farms do so much more. They contribute to the local and national economy, provide employment and populate remote and often harsh areas of Scotland, allowing communities and schools to survive in these rural places.

Throughout history, livestock production has been challenged with many problems due to the vagaries of the Scottish climate, centuries of rural de-population and economic pressures. In the face of these challenges,

tenacious, inspiring characters with the ability to turn their hand to any job required and due to centuries of expert and skilled breeding, our native breeds of livestock are recognised as iconic symbols of rural Scotland representing its unique cultural heritage.

We at Moredun are pleased to show our commitment to the livestock industry by extending this project further and producing a beautiful book depicting a selection of the wonderful images taken during the original project and by turning the Keepers’ spoken word to the written word.

Scottish livestock and their keepers have survived and adapted successfully to their changing environment, frequently by diversifying and broadening the scope of their farm to encompass the surrounding natural resources. These livestock keepers are

This book is the result of many months of hard work and is just about to be published. We aim to launch it at the Royal Highland Show this June, where we will be pleased to welcome you to the Moredun stand to enjoy browsing and hopefully make a purchase!

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The Moredun Foundation is a company limited by guarantee, registered in Scotland No. SC151865.

The Moredun Foundation is a charity registered in Scotland, No. SC022515.

Address: Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland, EH26 0PZ.

3,500/JTCP

www.moredun.org.uk