News

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

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

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

In recent research on a farm in Scotland, clinical signs and significant numbers of lungworm larvae were found in bovine faeces after treatment with ivermectin and moxidectin. Lead researcher Paul Campbell from the University of Glasgow reports. Parasitic bronchitis is caused by the bovine lungworm Dictyocaulus viviparus. Infections can cause mild to severe respiratory distress, … Continued

 Members of the groups Control of Worms Sustainably (COWS) and Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep (SCOPS), welcome the recognition by the British Veterinary Association (BVA) of the need for a cohesive strategy to tackle future parasiticide resistance, with the publication of their new policy on responsible use of parasiticides in grazing animals (July 2025). … Continued

The season for disease due to liver fluke in cattle and sheep has been shifting later, and 2024/5 is no exception warn COWS and SCOPS.   “Historically, we would have expected to see acute/sub-acute disease in grazing livestock during the autumn and early winter,” says Philip Skuce of Moredun. “However, in recent years, this has been … Continued