The Manitoba Sheep Association and
The Western Canadian Flock Health Program

The Concept

The Manitoba Sheep Association (MSA) has decided to implement and administer the Western Canadian Flock Health Program (WCFHP) here in Manitoba. The program is available to members of the MSA who wish to participate. The WCFHP was designed to be producer friendly.

Manitoba takes a lot of pride in its ability to produce the best quality meat in the world. Our premium quality lamb is grown in the pristine agricultural lands unique to this area. Our clean air, sparkling water, rich feed grains and forages, plus our attention to sound animal management practices contribute to growing the best lamb in the world. For the same reasons that local beef is world-renowned as being the best (grain finishing and the clean environment), Western Canadian lamb is now increasingly recognized by today's best chefs for its tenderness and mild flavour.

Why Join?

In deciding whether or not to join this program, it is important to understand what the program can do for you. There are basically three things that you can do with any flock health program:

1. You can use it to improve the overall health of your flock to make it more productive.
2. Breeders can use the program as a marketing tool to sell sheep at potentially higher prices.
3. Buyers may use this program to help them decide which flocks to buy from.

The WCFHP was not designed to monitor flocks (this was done to keep costs down). In fact, it would be quite easy for a producer to "stretch the truth" regarding the health of their flock. For this reason, the WCFHP is not a reliable tool by itself as insurance for buyers - you still need to consider the reputation of the person you are buying from.

Veterinarian Training

The Manitoba Sheep Association has recently conducted a veterinarian training session in both Brandon and Winnipeg. A veterinarian with extensive sheep experience from the Ontario Veterinary College, Dr. Paula Menzies' offered a comprehensive one day course to the Manitoba veterinarians. The course also included detailed post mortem training from Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives pathologist, Dr. Mark Swendrowski. The list of certified sheep flock health veterinarians appears below.

To participate in the program, sheep producers need to register with the MSA in order to obtain a Western Canadian Flock Health Program manual. Registration in the program and manuals are free to members of the MSA. Click here to obtain a registration form in PDF format which you can print out, complete and mail to MB Sheep and Goat Specialist at 204-545 University Crescent, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 5S6. You will then be sent a manual together with a list of certified veterinarians. You are then responsible for contacting the certified veterinarian of your choice and arranging for the necessary visits. Payment of the Veterinarian charges is your responsibility.

For further information contact the Provincial Sheep and Goat Specialist @ (204) 945-7557, e-mail Mamoon.Rashid@gov.mb.ca.

Western Canadian Flock Health Certified Veterinarians- Manitoba