News

COWS and SCOPS liver fluke experts met recently and agreed that as predicted, the strange weather patterns of 2023 have had a significant impact on the level and timing of the risk of liver fluke disease across the UK. This was initiated by the dry cold spring, hot early summer, and extremely wet July and … Continued

Livestock farmers would traditionally be expecting to go into peak liver fluke season at this time of year – but experts in the Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep (SCOPS) and Control of Cattle Parasites Sustainable (COWS) groups say 2023 has been a very strange year in terms of weather patterns. Speaking on behalf of … Continued

In recent years there has been confusion around rafoxanide, especially with respect to its use as an alternative to closantel on farms where triclabendazole resistance is suspected.   In the light of a product containing rafoxanide recently being licensed in the UK (POM-V) for use in sheep as a treatment for adult liver fluke, SCOPS … Continued

Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) veterinary investigation officer Harriet McFadzean presented findings from her 2021 MSc project from the University of Edinburgh, on surveillance and risk analysis for bovine babesiosis at a recent COWS Steering Group meeting. Babesiosis, colloquially known as red water disease because of the colour of affected animals’ urine, is caused … Continued

Mark Pass is the lead SQP for the Willows Veterinary Group and has recently joined the Control of Worms Sustainably (COWS) steering group. He has just completed an MSc thesis on lungworm and feels there is much that can be done to reduce the increasing number of cases being seen on dairy farms across the … Continued

CANTER: a new pan-industry group to combat wormer resistance in UK equines CANTER (Controlling ANTiparasitic resistance in Equines Responsibly) brings together voluntary representation from the widest reaches of the equine sector. This includes leading experts in the field across prescribers, diagnostics providers, pharmaceutical companies, trade organisations, technical experts, horse owners, charities, and policy makers. All … Continued