A Note on Some Health-Related Outcomes in Small Ruminant Farms with Common Grazing with Wildlife Ruminants

The specific objective of the current paper was the description of some health-related outcomes in sheep and goat farms in Greece with common grazing with wildlife ruminants. Faecal samples were collected and information regarding health management applied on farms was obtained from sheep and goat farms located throughout Greece (325 and 119 farms, respectively). Common grazing of livestock (sheep, goats) with wildlife ruminants (roe deer, red deer) was reported in 9.2% of farms. Faecal epg counts in farms with common grazing with wildlife ruminants were higher than in farms with no common grazing: respective median values were 270 epg versus 150 epg; also, there was a tendency for faecal counts >300 epg to be recorded more frequently among the former farms (36.1% versus 23.1% of farms). Median annual incidence of cases of abortion and of cases of diarrhoea in lambs/kids was significantly higher in farms with common grazing with wildlife ruminants: 1.7% and 9.0%, respectively, versus 0.0% and 1.7%, respectively, in farms with no common grazing. The findings have revealed associations of common grazing with wildlife ruminants with the health of sheep and goats. These can have implications in the health management of farms, for example, in the administration of anthelmintic treatments and in the development of vaccination programmes in livestock farms.