Parasitic Gut Worms

• There are a variety of roundworm species that can cause disease in cattle
• Lungworm and liver fluke may also be a problem on your farm and may also need controlling
• Grazing stock can take up to two grazing seasons to acquire adequate immunity and thus young calves are at greatest risk of succumbing to infection
• It is essential to conserve efficacy of existing wormers through correct usage
• Undertake post drench efficacy checks to determine whether eggs are still present in the faeces of treated animals (generally counts are done 14 day post treatment). Faecal egg count reduction tests can be used if there are concerns about wormer efficacy.
• Treat bought-in stock and animals that have been grazed off farm with wormers from both the 1-BZ and 2-LV classes of drugs and where possible yard for at least 24-48 hours prior to turnout
• Turn out quarantine treated stock onto dirty pastures to ensure that any resistant surviving worms form a minor proportion of the total on pasture population
• With your veterinary practitioner/health advisor, plan a strategic parasite control program that will reduce unnecessary treatments.
• Avoid frequent drenching by integration with grazing management
  The relationship between nutrition and parasitism is critical; poorly fed animals have difficulty in developing and maintaining immunity to worms

• Drug sensitivity of Ostertagia to currently available anthelmintics
• Changing epidemiology of cattle parasites in the UK

NADIS publishes a monthly Parasite Forecast for farmers and livestock keepers, based on detailed Met Office data. The Parasite Forecast outlines the parasitic challenge facing cattle and sheep in the different UK regions.

Control of Cattle Parasites Sustainably (COWS) is an industry stakeholder group which aims to promote best practice in the control of cattle parasites. It has a wealth of free information for vets, SQPs and farmers about how to control parasitic gut worms and liver fluke in cows. For more information – visit the COWS website