The NATIONAL Sheep Association believes there has been a breakthrough for mobile dipping contractors because of exponential rise in dip disposal licence fees.

The breakthrough has come through ongoing work by sheep industry stakeholders in response to the Environment Agency's announcement of higher fees for applying for and renewing sheep dip disposal licence early in 2018.

This was despite strong assertions from the sheep sector that increases of up to 590 per cent were unjustifiable and highly damaging.

Plunge dipping of sheep is an essential tool in the fight against sheep parasites, and anything blocking the affordable treatment of such pests could potentially impact animal welfare.

But the EA is exempting contractors from the new fees to store dip – an important concession but leaves the sheep sector with much to do to ensure farmers dipping sheep themselves can do so.

Phil Stocker, National Sheep Association (NSA) chief executive, said: “The individuals and groups involved in this work have gone to great lengths to increase understanding within the Environment Agency about what makes our industry tick.

"We cannot have a unilateral decision made to increase licence fees at the same time as other parts of the government are working with farming organisations to urge farmers to increase use of dip and mobile dipping contractors to tackle sheep scab, a parasite that affects animal welfare.”