The scheme’s aim is to ‘ensure the provision of an adequate veterinary service to prevent & eradicate animal diseases for all animals kept for agricultural purposes and belonging to crofters and others of like economic status.’ The Highlands & Islands Veterinary Services Scheme supports large animal veterinary practices in remote areas of the Scottish Highlands and Islands to provide practical veterinary cover to crofters and their animals, which is vital in the role of preventing & identifying animal disease. Clarification on the Law in Scotland Andrew Voas, Scottish Government Veterinary Head of Animal Welfare spoke on the updated legislation of lamb tail docking and castration. As distributors of Numnuts , the MerlinVet team were able to demonstrate to vets the advantages and ease of use of the device, thus being able to support their farmers when the time comes later in Spring. Andrew Voas reaffirmed that it is legal in Scotland to use rings for lamb marking up to 12 weeks of age provided that a local anaesthetic is used. Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) officers in attendance stated that now that there is a legal and approved means of applying local anaesthetic at the time of ringing, then farms who are ringing at over 7 days and not using local anaesthetic will be penalised. This clarification brings significant relief to Scottish farmers and veterinarians seeking reassurance on the legality of using Numnuts. This innovative method minimises the pain and distress typically associated with traditional rubber ringing procedures. Scottish legislation allows this practice up to 3 months, ensuring adherence to animal welfare standards and providing a compassionate alternative to older methods. Current legislation is more restrictive in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with rubber rings for castration or tail docking being prohibited on lambs older than 7 days. We are hopeful that the situation will change - please consider petitioning your local MP or NFU Representative to align the legislation across the UK. Numnuts® Numnuts® is a 2-in-1 device that administers an Elastrator® ring along with a pre-calibrated dose of local anaesthetic. This device makes giving fast-acting targeted pain relief for castration and tail docking of lambs easy, fast, and safe. The Numnuts® Device allows farmers and vets to provide best practice without compromising on safety and efficiency. No other device exists that allows farmers and vets to provide targeted pain relief to lambs during tail docking and castration. View more information on Numnuts here Order Numnuts here Other sessions also included the eradication of sheep scab, and Glasgow Vet School gave a demonstration of their calving simulator used for vet students and farmers. Hector Low from Stornoway Vets, pictured below with Jane, won the prize raffle competition on the stand, taking home a bottle of MerlinVet-branded Caorunn Gin.

Now available from MerlinVet UK, side kick is a horse-side blood testing device giving fast & reliable results in minutes. It is the most advanced handheld diagnostic device available for horse-side IgG testing. side kick features: Handheld, portable and designed for life on the road Accurate & rapid results: quantitative results within 5 minutes allowing for diagnosis & immediate intervention Smart-Calibrate™ enables automatic batch code reading No faff, no refrigeration and no lengthy delays waiting for lab results when time is of the essence Superpowered rechargeable battery via USB-C port Keep, share and review all results from the sidekick App side kick is a multi-test reader offering: Foal IgG Test – currently available Progesterone testing – coming soon ACTH testing – coming soon Offering horse side IgG testing at the moment, side kick can also be used for progesterone and ACTH testing in early 2025. You can view the IgG tests product specifications here . When a foal’s life depends on timely results, Sidekick gives you real-time data for an accurate diagnosis and on-the-spot treatment. Use Sidekick IgG tests as a routine protocol for screening foals that present an elevated risk of failure of passive transfer. Buy here. The side kick reader conveniently fits into your pocket and can be charged on the go via a USB-C port. Providing quantitive results in minutes, it is designed for life on the road. Find out how it works here . On the sidekick app, you can: automatically store test results; take notes and easily share them; run sidekick Smart Calibrate™ for automatic batch code reading. Buy the sidekick reader sidekick IgG tests View the sidekick information flyer