The Latest


Things to do now

Steps you should be taking now to protect your herd

Beef

  • Monitor liver and rumen fluke by faecal egg counting before turnout. If necessary, treat with an appropriate product to kill adult fluke. Speak to your vet or animal health advisor about which product to use
  • If possible, turn out first grazing season cattle, such as dairy x beef calves and autumn-born weaned suckled calves, onto low risk pasture, eg not grazed by cattle last year. If using pasture grazed by youngstock last year, implement a control plan to protect against gut worms
  • Spring-born suckler calves that are still suckling are not likely to need any treatment for worms. Any larvae on the pasture will be consumed by their mothers which will be mostly immune

Dairy

  • Monitor liver and rumen fluke by faecal egg counting before turnout. If necessary, treat with an appropriate product to kill adult fluke. Speak to your vet or animal health advisor about which product to use
  • If possible, turn out first grazing season calves such as replacement heifers, onto low risk pastures, eg pastures not grazed by cattle last year. If using pasture grazed by youngstock last year, implement a control plan to protect against gut worms
  • Monitor liver fluke infection by taking faecal egg counts. If necessary, treat with a product to kill adult liver fluke before turnout. Remember there are milk withholding periods

Resources

Vet, academic or researcher?

Take a look in Resources for more detailed information on all topics.

The latest

 

COWS updates its guide to parasite control

 

Press

  1. COWS updates its guide to parasite control (COWS Press Release, 20 Jan 2020)
  2. Treat cattle for liver fluke just after housing (COWS Press Release 18 October 2019)
  3. Sheep and cattle farmers urged to start testing for liver fluke this autumn (SCOPS/COWS Joint Press Release 15 October 2019)
  4. Watch out for surge of headflies from mid-July (July 2019)
  5. Test before treating for liver fluke this spring (COWS/SCOPS Joint Press Release 1 April 2019)
  6. Lungworm threat on the rise as climate warms - Page 2 (Farmers Guardian 1 March 2019)
  7. Lungworm threat on the rise as climate warms - Page 1 (Farmers Guardian 1 March 2019)
  8. Vaccinate cattle against lungworm (COWS Press Release 19 Feb 2019)
  9. Planned worm control: Helping farmers select best treatment options - Page 3 (Veterinary Times Livestock Spring Summer 2018)
  10. Planned worm control: Helping farmers select the best treatment options - Page 2 (Veterinary Times Livestock Spring Summer 2018)
  11. Planned worm control: Helping farmers select the best treatment options - Page 1 (Veterinary Times Livestock Spring Summer 2018)