Fluke is a huge burden to the livestock industry, in terms of loss of production as well as lost opportunities from the fifth quarter. EBLEX has estimated that liver fluke infections can reduce daily liveweight gains by up to 30% and infected cattle can take up to an extra 80 days to finish.
 
The recent NADIS parasite forecast has advised livestock producers to reduce pasture contamination by planning grazing and anthelmintic control now to decrease risks of infection.
 
“Being aware of the risk of liver fluke on your farm and knowing what preventative methods can be put into place to reduce reliance on drugs is an important part of liver fluke control,” says Charlotte Johnston, Technical Specialist with IfA.
 
Dr Neil MacKintosh from IBERS said: “Liver fluke is often a problem people associate with autumn and winter, but knowing the risks to your livestock in spring and concentrating on problems earlier can save a lot of time and money over the year.”
 
Innovation for Agriculture (IfA) and Advanced Training Partnership (ATP) will be delivering one day training workshops to dairy, beef and sheep farmers on the following dates:
 
Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire – Tuesday 5th May
Cockle Park Farm, Morpeth, Northumberland – Wednesday 6th May
Westmorland Agricultural Society, Lane Farm, Cumbria – Thursday 7th May
 
The workshops will be aiming to help each attendee understand how they might reduce the cost of liver fluke infections in livestock through prevention, detection and treatment options.
 
For more information please contact Charlotte Johnston on 07779572598, email charlottej@rase.org.uk or visit www.innovationforagriculture.org.uk