Testing reduces need for routine treatment of liver fluke, study finds
"By listening to the science, we have been able to make informed decisions about when to treat our livestock" - Stuart Lamont
A new seasonal study carried out on the Scottish island of Islay has revealed that regular monitoring of liver fluke infection can enable farmers to treat animals only when necessary. This will benefit animal and environmental health as well as helping to reduce flukicide resistance.
For the study, monthly monitoring of blood and faecal samples taken from a select group of animals showed that the timing of liver fluke infection has changed, which researchers say is partly due to changes in weather patterns.
Prophylactically treating animals for liver fluke has led to the overuse of flukicides and increased resistance. This has resulted in a reduction in the number of working products available in the veterinary toolkit.
Stuart Lamont, a farmer involved in the study, found low levels of liver fluke in the summer and autumn and was advised to move treatment to January. He had previously been treating his animals at set times of the year.
Mr Lamont said: “By listening to the science, we have been able to make informed decisions about when to treat our livestock, which has led to benefits for animal welfare, as well as significant chemical savings.
“I’m now not having to unnecessarily handle my sheep to run them through a race every six weeks and by treating more sparingly, it means the products are more likely to work when we need to use them.”
The study was done in collaboration between Moredun Research Institute, Elanco Animal Health, RSPB and Islay farmers, as part of the RHASS Presidential Initiative (PI), exploring the science behind food and drink production. The work has resulted in a plan to plan to boost animal welfare, reduce flukicide resistance, improve soil health and help promote local wildlife populations.
Moredun parasitologist, Philip Skuce added: “There is increasing pressure on the agricultural industry to reduce chemical usage and the most simple and effective way to do this is to ‘test, don’t guess’ and with patterns of parasite epidemiology shifting, more than ever scientists need to be monitoring these changes and bringing farmers along with us.”
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