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ALP is excited to announce that there is a new website available to producers, with the aim to provide locally relevant and up to date information regarding sheep parasites in western Canada and also serve as a platform to present and help translate our research results going forward.

You can check out the new website here: https://vet.ucalgary.ca/research/sheep-parasite-control/home

A big thank you to Dr. John Gilleard, BVSc, PhD, DipACVM, DipEVPC, FCAHS, MRCVS, Michel Levy, DVM, Dipl ACVIM Camila de Queiroz, PhD Student, along with a number of their summer students over the past few years for creating this great new resource for producers!

Alberta Lamb Producers Plebiscite on Service Charge Model Refundability

In September 2021, the Government of Alberta declared a state of public health emergency due to increasing COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. With new measures to protect the health care system and decrease the spread of the virus, the Alberta Lamb Producers (ALP) decided to move its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on November 20, 2021, from in-person to online (virtual).

A plebiscite on ALP’s service charge model refundability was planned for Alberta’s lamb industry to occur in conjunction with the AGM on November 20, 2021, with two methods for voting (electronically from November 1-20, 2021, and in-person at the AGM).

Due to concerns with voting in-person and moving to an online AGM, on September 30, 2021, the Alberta Agricultural Products Marketing Council (Marketing Council), in consultation with ALP, decided to shift the voting period for this plebiscite to ALP’s 2022 AGM, which is anticipated to be held in November 2022.

Marketing Council and ALP recognize the importance of the plebiscite for Alberta’s lamb industry. Collectively, they have determined that this is the best path forward to ensure all eligible lamb producers have an opportunity to vote in the plebiscite.

Further details about the plebiscite for fall 2022 and voting methods will be available to producers in the coming months.

Please direct any questions or concerns regarding this change to ALP at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via phone at 403-948-8533 or Marketing Council at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Project title: Investigating the efficacy of sheep respiratory vaccines in pre-weaned and weaned lambs

The Alberta Lamb Producers recently received $150,000 in funding from RDAR to evaluate the efficacy of a UK sheep respiratory vaccine from Merck called Ovipast Plus, and to evaluate an experimental sheep respiratory vaccine from VIDO, which was built a few years ago with ALMA funding and support of others in the sheep industry, including ALP and OSF.  Lead researchers for this vaccine study are Dr. Joyce Van Donkersgoed from Alberta, Dr. Cathy Bauman from Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), and Dr. Jose Perez-Casal from VIDO. 

The RDAR funding is matched with industry funding from Alberta Lamb Producers (ALP), Ontario Sheep Farmers (OSF), Merck Animal Health, and the North American Lamb Corporation (NALC). 

The research will evaluate the effectiveness of the vaccines in ewes in boosting colostral immunity to reduce preweaning mortality and in weaned lambs to reduce post-weaning mortality.  Additional outcomes that will be measured include growth performance and carcass quality.  The research requires large numbers of ewes and feeder lambs with the ability to follow the animals through slaughter; therefore, the research will be conducted at the NALC ewe barns and feedlot in Iron Springs, Alberta and the feeder lambs will be followed through at slaughter at Canada Lamb Processors in Innisfail, Alberta. 

This research will also provide training of a Master’s student in epidemiology at OVC.  The research will start this fall and hopefully be completed by December 2022.  Results will be communicated to sheep producers. 

We thank RDAR for supporting this important industry applied vaccine research and stayed tuned for more project updates to come!

Thank you to those who registered for the Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (M.ovi) Awareness Webinar on June 14^th, a partnership webinar between Alberta Goat Association, Alberta Lamb Producers, and Alberta Farm Animal Care. They were unfortunately not able to record the webinar, but we are able to share PDFs of the presentations (see attached). 

Some funding is available to do M.ovi testing on animals that present the greatest risk to contact bighorn sheep. If you have questions about testing, contact Dr. Mark Ball at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

There is also funding available for fencing to exclude bighorn sheep. If you have inquiries about fencing, contact Dr. Anne Hubbs at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Presentation One

Presentation Two

AFAC hosted a Small Ruminant Humane Transportation webinar featuring CFIA, that focused on the amendments to the humane trabsportation regulations. AFAC has shared the webinar summary along with a Q & A document for Producers to have access to. Please find both documents below.

Webinar Summary

Q&A Document

ALP has made some changes to the way that eligible producers can submit Proposed Resolutions that are discussed and voted on by eligible producers at our Annual General meeting. Effective today and moving forward into 2021, eligible Producers will be able to submit proposed resolutions year-round for board consideration, with a cutoff date for submission being a few weeks prior to the AGM.

By providing eligible producers the opportunity to submit year-round submission, it allows the board and staff to research and provide information to the proposed resolution(s) in advance of the AGM, to help make the discussion more effective at the AGM before the voting period begins.

To submit a resolution for discussion at the 2022 AGM, please complete our resolution form and submit to the ALP office. 

Resolution Form
NEW ALP Resolution Procedure

ALP Resolution forms must be returned to Alberta Lamb Producers by September 15, 2022 to be considered eligible. Proposed resolutions will not be accepted past this deadline or from the floor at the AGM.

Canadian Sheep Identification Program Fees Increasing Today
Ottawa, ON (February 3, 2020) – Effective today, Canadian Sheep Identification Program (CSIP) approved Shearwell tags are subject to program fee increases originally noted in the January 4, 2019, press release.

Read the full press release