EPIC Scotland

YouTube video by EPIC Scotland Don't Risk It animation (short version)

✈️ Travelling during the holidays? Don’t risk bringing back plant and animal products that may be contaminated. 🦠

Watch our animation to understand how contaminated products could cause disease spread in Great Britain. ➡️ youtu.be/D1lzg1x7gH4

Predicting disease spread when the host distribution is uncertain BioSS colleagues have developed methods that allow analysis of outbreak data even when the host distribution is unknown.

You can read more about the @epicscotland.bsky.social work by @spcatterall.bsky.social study www.bioss.ac.uk/case-studies...

On 3 October, EPIC attended the third annual ENRA Conference. EPIC research that delivers impact across Scotland was showcased at our exhibitor stand, and through a presentation and poster.

Access conference coverage and materials on our news page ➡️ www.epicscotland.org/news/epic-at...

Camera trap is attached to post.

📸 Camera traps are helping to identify the potentially significant role wildlife could have in transmitting diseases, including African swine fever, to livestock. 🐖

Access the news story ➡️ www.epicscotland.org/news/concern...

Chickens in grass.

🚨 UK egg producers 🚨 Complete our survey by 31 October to tell EPIC and SRUC @ravicinverness.bsky.social scientists what data you collect and how it is kept. 🐓

Access the survey ➡️ www.epicscotland.org/news/uk-egg-...

A phylogenetic contribution to understanding the panzootic spread of African swine fever: from the global to the local scale African Swine Fever virus has become a primary concern for veterinarian health agencies and pig producers worldwide. The current panzootic of the virus genotype II is having a devastating impact on pi...

A phylogenetic model of African Swine Fever virus (ASFV) genotype II identifies introductions of the virus worldwide. 🌍

Scientists from EPIC and @roslininstitute.bsky.social, highlight a need to expand genomic surveillance of ASFV.

Access the publication ➡️ doi.org/10.1101/2025...

YouTube video by EPIC Scotland Don't Risk It: Don't Bring Animal and Plant Products into Great Britain

Planning to travel outside the UK? ✈️

Don’t risk bringing back restricted animal and plant products, such as pork or seeds, as they could host harmful pathogens.

EPIC and @planthealthscot.bsky.social produced an animation showing the risks: youtu.be/92y4gdX5-Ms

EPIC’s Lucy Gilbert led a workshop which revealed the challenges the Scottish #livestock industry is facing due to the rise of ticks and tick-borne diseases.

📢 The draft version of the 2027-32 ENRA Research Strategy is now available for public consultation.

The programme covers a broad range of issues critical to Scotland's environmental and agricultural futures.

Give your views to inform the strategy’s development ➡️ consult.gov.scot/environment-...

Bird Flu Guide A virtual bird flu guide for chicken keepers and their communities

Using supporting EPIC resources, @dundee.ac.uk MSc Medical Art Masters student Mary Jo Eden, makes information on avian influenza more accessible for poultry keepers and communities.

Access her bird flu guide and 3D model ➡️ bird-flu-guide.weebly.com

Researchers at a board room table use their computers during an interactive workshop session.

Researchers at a board room table use their computers during an interactive workshop session.

Last week, EPIC scientists facilitated a workshop to explore data ethics and evaluate potential applications of artificial intelligence in animal disease modelling.

Professor Sam Lycett from @roslininstitute.bsky.social is developing a report based on the workshop’s findings.

Text reads, Report. Right side of image includes cows.

🐄 Livestock keepers in or near bluetongue control zones are concerned about the direct impact of the disease, the indirect impacts on farm businesses and the mental health of farmers.

Access the recent EPIC report ➡️ www.epicscotland.org/resources/re...

🚨 UK egg producers 🚨 Complete our survey by 31 July to tell EPIC and SRUC @ravicinverness.bsky.social scientists what data you collect and how it is kept. 🐓

Bluetongue Movements Checker - Ruminant Health & Welfare Cattle & Sheep Health & Welfare Survey 2020

As bluetongue restriction zones change, use the ‘Bluetongue Movements Checker’ for correct advice and requirements to move animals within or across a border in Great Britain.

Access the interactive tool ➡️ ruminanthw.org.uk/bluetongue-v...

Chickens in a field.

Calling all UK egg producers! Complete a survey to help EPIC and @srucnews.bsky.social @ravicinverness.bsky.social scientists assess if there is enough data available to design prediction models that alert egg producers to flock problems. 🐓

Access the survey ➡️ www.epicscotland.org/news/uk-egg-...

Jim Fairlie presents at EPIC and PHC launch.

Fiona Burnett presents at EPIC and PHC launch.

Gianluigi Rossi presents at EPIC and PHC launch.

John Jones presents at EPIC and PHC launch.

Today, EPIC and @planthealthscot.bsky.social launched an animation explaining the risks of bringing animal and plant products into Great Britain.

Watch the animation here ➡️ edin.ac/4kMtsqy

Our Iain McKendrick is at the Royal Highland Show 2025 to launch a new public information film. It warns about the risks from bringing animal and plant products into Scotland. 🧀🥩✈️

🎦Watch here: www.epicscotland.org/resources/an...

@epicscotland.bsky.social @planthealthscot.bsky.social @hutton.ac.uk

'Think before you pack and don't bring it back' 🧳⛱️

Come along to our event at the Royal Highland Show with @epicscotland.bsky.social on 20th June at 1pm

We will be showcasing our new animation 📽️

Talks from scientists @epicscotland.bsky.social @srucnews.bsky.social and @hutton.ac.uk

Blue tablecloth with EPIC logo. Banner sits behind the table along with a monitor showing a sheep behind a gate.

We’re here at the Royal Highland Show today and tomorrow. 🐄 🐖🐓

Stop by our stall in the Scottish Government marquee to learn about our new #animation, and try identifying #animals in our camera trap photos for a sweet reward!

BBC Scotland - Landward, 2025, Episode 9 Dougie reports on the bluetongue virus and meets the Scottish scientists studying it.

Midge traps placed on farms allow EPIC researchers to study active times and diversity of #midge populations across #Scotland.

Watch BBC’s Landward starting at 03:15 to learn how this project helps determine risk periods for #Bluetongue virus ➡️ www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Cows in a field. Text reads: Poster, Modelling BTV-3 for Scotland. Click the URL in the post to access the poster PDF.

Historic Bluetongue (BTV-3) cases in cattle have limited the movement of livestock in England.

Early EPIC modelling work reported that higher temperatures lead to larger outbreaks of BTV-3 but impacts to Scotland are minimal ➡️ edin.ac/3ZnmVtC

Afternoons - With Gemma Cairney - Robin Ince and ADHD - BBC Sounds Gemma Cairney brings you feel-good music and chat with celebrity guests.

Dr David Ewing recently spoke about the Mosquito #Scotland project, which will help scientists monitor future changes in #mosquito populations and assess mosquito-borne #disease risk.

Listen to David’s interview on BBC Sounds - from 30:52 ➡️ www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

YouTube video by ScotGov Rural Bluetongue Virus - Scottish industry webinar - 15 April 2025 - Meeting Recording

Watch EPIC’s cross-border #livestock movement analyses work receive a mention at the Scottish industry #Bluetongue virus webinar.

Neil Wilson, Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers in #Scotland, discusses potential #trade impacts of #BTV movement restrictions ➡️ youtu.be/48aCElM09W8?...

Great to have you here, Grant!

Hello! Great to meet you 👋 I'm new to Bluesky, but very happy to be here 💙
I'm based at @bioss.bsky.social, working as part of the @epicscotland.bsky.social consortium on Bayesian Inference approaches for stochastic epidemic modelling.

Check out this talk from our Dr Stephen Catterall at the recent @epicscotland.bsky.social Conference. 🦠🐖📊

#AnimalDisease #DataScience #Statistics

Tom Wilkinson speaking to audience at EPIC Conference 2025.

Can #AI tools be used to build trust? 💭

#Privacy Enhancing #Technology could help maximise #data reuse and build #trust in decision-making processes.

Watch the full talk from Chief Data Officer at Scottish Government, Tom Wilkinson, at EPIC Conference 2025. ➡️ youtu.be/vSYX4iEhrBU

Miruna presenting at EPIC Conference 2025.

Watch Miruna Clinciu from Edinburgh Centre for #Robotics present, "Taming the Black Box: Explainable #AI for #OneHealth," at EPIC Conference 2025 ➡️ youtu.be/8bci8Nft8oA

Stephen Catterall speaks at EPIC Conference 2025.

While modelling the spatial spread of #AnimalDisease with limited #data, the iPAR approach can help fill a gap to ensure we are prepared for future #disease outbreaks.

Watch Dr Stephen Catterall from @bioss.bsky.social, speak at EPIC Conference 2025 ➡️ youtu.be/6-FpBdWi80Q?...

Niamh presenting at EPIC conference 2025.

Niamh presenting at EPIC conference 2025.

#MachineLearning approaches can offer cost and time efficiencies when diagnosing Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) cases.

Access Niamh Mimnagh’s full presentation on predicting #outbreaks of BVD for Irish #cattle herds, on our conference playlist ➡️ www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...