Keep on top of parasites at turn-out

As the time for turn-out approaches, leading animal health company Merial is urging farmers to keep on top of parasite control.

"The housing period provides an ideal opportunity for a number of treatments, but parasite control is just as important once the animals are at grass," says Merial Veterinary Advisor, Fiona MacGillivray.

For dairy cattle, Merial’s research has shown that more than 90% of herds in the UK are carrying a high gutworm burden. This information was taken from bulk milk tanker tests - MOO Tests - conducted in the UK during 2008-2010.

Fiona says: "Many dairy farmers don’t believe that gutworm burdens are a problem, as they cause no obvious clinical effects in the adult cows. However, there is an abundance of independent research in over 5,000 dairy cows which clearly shows that worming cows with eprinomectin improves both their milk production and their fertility."

Research shows that treatment with eprinomectin can improve milk productivity by up to 2 litres per cow per day. It also shows that treated cows eat more.

Maintaining feed intake in newly calved cows is essential. If food intake is compromised at this critical time, the negative energy gap increases. If a cow continues to milk off her back for a prolonged period, both her milk production and her fertility can be significantly compromised. Merial’s Eprinex® is the only product which has a zero milk withdrawal for lactating dairy cows.

Beef farmers may wish to tie in worming with the treatment of liver fluke. Treating for fluke after turn out can help to break the life-cycle of the liver fluke and its intermediate snail host.

An ’at grass’ fluke treatment will help to reduce fluke eggs shed onto the pasture in the spring and summer, and reduce the subsequent risk of winter disease in cattle. An ’at grass’ treatment may also contribute to improved growth rates and enable farmers to maximise their animals’ growth from grass – which is their most cost-effective form of feed. In fact, cattle treated against fluke at grass were shown to have 31% better weight gain compared to untreated animals, and 8% compared to cattle that were only wormed.

In terms of treatment timing, cattle can start to pick up infective fluke cysts as soon as they are turned out to grass, and because it takes approximately 10 to 12 weeks for these infective cysts to become adult egg-laying fluke, treatment should be administered 10 to 12 weeks after turnout to minimize fluke eggs reaching the pasture. However, in some cases, from a practical management perspective, treatment may be advisable eight weeks after turnout to tie in with the worming regime on farm. Therefore, the general advice would be to treat 8 to10 weeks after turnout or exposure to infection.

Suitable products include Trodax® , a nitroxynil-based injection, or for those that want an injectable combination of flukicide and endectocide, there is Ivomec® Super.