News

Experts from the Control of Worms Sustainably (COWS) group are urging dairy and suckler beef producers with autumn-born calves, to think carefully about their worm control programme this spring. Testing and treating calves only when needed might be a better way forward than using traditional routine worming programmes, which can select for resistance. “This has … Continued

There was a relatively low and later-than-normal liver fluke challenge in many parts of the UK throughout 2020, largely due to the legacy of the dry summer in 2018 and successive dry springs in 2019 and 2020. But more recent weather patterns mean there is evidence of fluke infection in some parts of the country. … Continued

Robert Smith, director at Farm First Vets, Abergavenny and a member of the Control of Worms Sustainably (COWS) steering group, urges farmers to consider the effect treatments they give for internal parasites at housing might also be having on skin parasites. “Most cattle producers apply a pour-on macrocyclic lactone (ML) anthelmintic at, or just after … Continued

As fluke risk can vary considerably from year to year, between regions and even between neighbouring farms, every farm needs to be considered individually. We strongly advise RAMAs and Veterinarians to recommend diagnostic testing for liver fluke before treating. This will allow you to tailor the best control advice to each farm, which product to … Continued

This year has highlighted that there is no typical year for fluke. With a very dry spring in some regions followed by a wet summer, the timing of peak fluke risk this year could be different from normal and different across the country. Reports of cases of fluke have started to come in from some … Continued

Roundworms, liver fluke and lungworm are costing UK livestock producers £270 million in lost production and treatment expenditure every year, according to a new study to be published in the journal Preventive Veterinary Medicine. The study examined the economic burden of major parasitic worm infections on livestock across 18 European countries. At the sector level, … Continued