What is COWS?
Control Of Worms Sustainably (COWS) is a voluntary initiative aiming to provide the best available, evidence-based information to the beef and dairy cattle industries in relation to the sustainable control of both internal and external parasites.
COWS funders
As a voluntary initiative, COWS is kindly funded by: AgriSearch, AHDB, AHDA, AHDB Beef & Lamb, AHDB Dairy, AMTRA, HCC, NFU, NOAH and QMS. COWS also works closely with SCOPS.
Warning from COWS & SCOPS – a too early treatment will not provide protection
21st November 2025
A recent review of reports from laboratories and field experiences by experts from the Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep (SCOPS) and the Control of Worms Sustainably (COWS) groups supports earlier forecasts that the liver fluke season will be late again in 2025/6. This underlines the importance of testing when deciding if farmers need to … Continued
What worms? What wormer resistance?
21st November 2025
Research by Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) veterinary investigation officer Natalie Jewell for her MSc project, set out to discover which roundworms are affecting young cattle in the UK and if wormer resistance is on the increase. This research project aimed to improve the understanding of gastrointestinal nematode species infecting first grazing season cattle … Continued
Beef farmer saves £5,000 by worming his cattle differently
16th October 2025
Round worms in young cattle can reduce growth rates by 30%, reducing herd performance, profitability while increasing environmental footprints. Anthelmintic resistance is a growing concern but can be slowed with responsible medicine use. Ian Farrant, 2023 Beef Farmer of the Year, took part in AHDB’s Monitor Farm programme and changed his worm control to support … Continued