Test don’t guess for livestock parasites

As part of an international collaboration scientists at Edinburgh’s Moredun Institute have launched a new animation urging farmers to “Test Don’t Guess” when it comes to staying on top of the sustainable use of sheep and cattle wormers.

“Parasite infections are an economic, health and welfare concern in all livestock systems and are endemic in UK flocks and herds,” said Dr Dave Bartley, a principal scientists at the institute.

He said that monitoring tools needed to be used much more widely if parasites were to be controlled sustainably. He said this required steps to be taken which would slow down the development of anthelmintic resistance, protect the treatments which were currently available and improve the efficiency of livestock production.

The informative animation, which was only recently released, covers the subjects of roundworm and liver fluke control and illustrates how producers can easily incorporate monitoring of these parasites into their normal livestock management system.

Created by Selina Wagner of Ping Creates, the animation describes, in a fun and entertaining way, how testing is key and simple - as well as both quick and cost-effective to carry out.

“Because the issues of parasites and anthelmintic efficacy are so important to farmers across Europe, we decided to join forces and develop an animation to cover the key areas in a clear and concise way,” said Bartley.

The animation, along with another six in the series covering a range of livestock health issues, can be viewed on Moredun’s website.