Recent Spin Off issues have been disappointing and one of them really upset me.
In the recent issue of Spin Off, the editors commented on the number of letters they had received regarding the "organic wool" article which suggested that vaccinations, wormers and antibiotics wouldn't be used when producing "organic wool." I wrote Spin Off about both the vaccinating issue and the worming thing. Spin Off's editors decided rightly that vaccinating sheep against diseases that can cause a miserable and painful death such as tetanus and overeating disease (enterotoxemia) are a good idea. Some exhibitions of livestock also require vaccinating sheep against rabies - - a sensible protection of the public. Wormers and deccox (decoquinate) are used to prevent death and permanent stunting of lambs due to damage to their intestines. Wormers are also used in adult sheep to prevent death and debility. Overuse of wormers or antibiotics is expensive and I wouldn't advocate it, however the wormers we use today are far different from those used a few decades ago. Ivermectin is completely safe even in pregnant sheep and is used in humans to prevent River Blindness - - a major problem in Africa. Deccox is safe at many times the recommended dose and won't hurt equids that might get into treated grain. If one does not use wormers, there is likely to be a break or weak spot in the wool in some members of the flock at some times of the year. I am all for breeding sheep that are resistant to parasites, but so far it has not been proven that anyone has achieved this. Intensively raised sheep that can lamb twice a year like ours and have five lambs in a litter, cannot afford to have worm infestations. They need all their energy for themselves. I also do not understand why people would want to take a chance on eating meat infested with parasites. Grace Fred and Grace Hatton Hawley Pa To stop mail temporarily mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: set nomail To restore send: set mail
