Daniel Scovenna of Torch Vets offers a case to illustrate using the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway visit as an opportunity to work with a farmer to establish a parasite control and monitoring programme in a suckler herd.
It outlines the discussions and tests undertaken, the interpretation of the results and actions taken, including implementing a more robust identification system to determine the parasite risk in different fields.
In the future the farmer will regularly weigh calves at birth/turnout and at housing and react to the growth rates of individuals. Amongst other things, worm egg counts will be monitored through the grazing season, reduction tests may be carried out to assess whether wormer resistance is likely and all incoming bulls will be quarantined.
The plan in the article is farm specific and parasite patterns are prone to change depending on weather, temperature and previous treatment protocols.
This plan showed how useful a more evidence-based approach to parasite control and monitoring can be, leading to an overall reduction in anthelmintic usage on farm, which is better for the animals, better for the farmer and better for the environment.
Article credit: Original publication BCVA’s Summer 2024 Cattle Quarterly by D. Scovenna of Torch Vets