MerlinVet & Numnuts at The Highlands & Islands Veterinary Services Scheme Conference
February 12, 2025
MerlinVet’s Managing Director, David Taylor, and MerlinVet-cel’s Group Business Development Manager, Jane Hutcheon, recently attended the annual Highlands & Islands Veterinary Services Scheme Conference in Inverness.
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 anim al 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.
MerlinVet will be exhibiting at Vet Dynamics Conference on 17th – 19th September 2026 at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole. Our staff will be on-hand to answer any queries from new start-ups, established practices, or existing customers. We’ll be showcasing our wide range of services including our wholesale business with a specialism in Special Import Products, our export business, as well as our buying group, MerlinVet-cel. Speak to Jane on stand to discover the benefits of becoming a member of the country’s longest established veterinary buying group. You can find out more here . In addition, we’ll also be available to demonstrate our IT solution, Talon, which provides the online portal for MerlinVet Pet Shops, Health & Treatment Plans, and MerlinVet Direct. It’s our robust and intuitive practice portal software, tailored by the prescribing vet to their individual requirements and branding. Speak to Amy on stand to find out more about: Online MerlinVet Pet Shops – Expand your practice’s revenue whilst we do all the work Health Plans & Treatment Plans – Bespoke and limitless health plans and treatment plans Home Delivery: MerlinVet Direct – Home delivery of prescription products with MerlinVet Direct Find out more here .
With the news that Coltronics has ceased trading, remember that you can monitor anaesthetic exposure in your workplace safely and accurately through MerlinSalus PAM . Benefits of Personal Anaesthetic Monitoring: - Measures staff exposure level - More accurate than environmental measurement - Badges & tubes are light, unobtrusive, and practical - Helps comply with COSHH, Work Exposure Limits, and RCVS Practice Standards and Training Practices Order at: https://www.saluspam.com/
MerlinVet will be exhibiting at this year’s VET Trust Conference 2026 , which will be taking place Tuesday 2nd – Wednesday 3rd June at Stirling Court Hotel, Stirling.
