Government disagrees

THE GOVERNMENT does not accept that OP sheep dips should be removed from the market, DEFRA has told farmers weekly.

“OP sheep dips are authorised veterinary medicinal products, which have been assessed for their quality, safety and efficacy before being granted marketing authorisations.

“These products provide a valuable tool for sheep farmers in protecting the welfare of their animals against a range of ectoparasites, including sheep scab and blowfly which both cause serious welfare problems in sheep.

“The government has spent a considerable amount of money on R&D to try to confirm the hypothesis that the use of OP sheep dips is the cause of the ill health reported by some sheep farmers and others. None of the research so far has confirmed this hypothesis.”