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 the financial and environmental sustainability of his business. Something Ian says was worth the investment.
Ian finishes 600 cattle a year on his 243-hectare farm on the Herefordshire/Worcestershire border which he farms with his family and two full time-staff. His farm business goals are profitable beef production with reduced inputs which provides a work-life balance for him, his family and staff. With 162 hectares of forage and grazing and 17% of the farm in multispecies leys, the farm also grows wheat, maize, intercropped peas and barley and hazelnuts. He is in a mid-tier Countryside Stewardship agreement and the Sustainable Farming Incentive.
Ian says: “Calves arrive at the farm aged between two weeks and two months old, with 80% coming from our family dairy farm partnership in Oxford and the rest from Meadow Quality. We don’t mix calves for six months and this limited sourcing means they tend to be healthy with fewer issues. They finish at 16-21 months and sold deadweight to Dovecote Park and Grassroots Farming. Cattle are rotationally grazed, moving daily to maximise returns from forage, with 90% of feed and forage home grown. The family dairy also supplies Waitrose, benefiting from an integrated supply chain approach.
“The Monitor Farm programme identified what I wanted to get out of the farm; to pay the mortgage, go on a nice holiday each year and spend enough time with my children that I get to see them grow up. I can put financial figures against these targets and work to cover those costs.” Before becoming a Monitor Farm, Ian was routinely worming his cattle two to four times a year during the grazing season, weather dependant. He began using FECPAK faecal egg counting (FEC) tool to routinely monitor FECs after attending a parasite control event as part of the Monitor Farm programme.
“If you want to be sustainable you have to have healthy animals – that’s critically important. Taking FECs has been brilliant. It’s given us the opportunity to know what’s happening in real time, rather than waiting for an issue to happen. The biggest benefit for me is peace of mind.
“Testing is key as by the time you have noticed a problem you are too late. We check the cattle and move them daily, all pats are fresh, so collecting three scoops from 15-20 fresh cow pats doesn’t add additional time. It takes about an hour to collect samples and run the test. The AI results are back in five minutes and within 30 minutes a human has checked them. I review the results with my vet to decide whether to treat. I’ve not had an egg count high enough (200) to warrant treatment in the four years since I started FEC in 2021.”
FEC is now a valuable part of Ian’s farm management. “It took a bit of time to getting used to the equipment, the same as anything else new, but I’m very glad we’ve done it. I wouldn’t be without it now, it’s been a game changer. I have calculated a total saving of £5,068, which includes £5,208 on wormer and £2,700 on labour (based on £12/hr), with an investment of £2,840 which includes the FECPAK unit, annual subscription and labour.”
While Ian uses a FECPAK unit on the farm to test his own samples, vets and RAMAs/SQPs can also measure FECs either using in-house services or external laboratories, with samples posted for analysis. Farmers are encouraged to speak to their vet or local RAMA/SQP about the services they offer.
As part of integrated parasite control, Ian uses rotational grazing, herbal leys, has fenced off watercourses and put wet areas into SFI removing them from grazing altogether to protect cattle from liver fluke. “Monitoring with FEC provides me with proof that these strategies are working. While we don’t do any official monitoring of beetles, I have noticed more beetles in our muck and water beetles on the top of water sources, which is super exciting to see. I think it’s because we’re using less wormer.”
By ensuring worming products are only used when necessary, supported by testing, Ian’s sustainable approach to worm control avoids unnecessary medicine use and minimises the risks they pose to the environment, while also saving money. This leaves Ian and his staff to focus on other aspects of the farm and to enjoy quality time with family, while knowing that he has optimised herd health and that the land is safeguarded for future generations.