Minister of State and Clare T.D. Tony Killeen has urged all Clare farmers to take the necessary precautions to reduce the risk of livestock being affected by liver fluke.
The Junior Agriculture Minister made his comments after the Liver Fluke Advisory Group released the results of a liver fluke disease-forecasting model based on rainfall during summer and early autumn. The model has predicted that the risk of liver fluke is high in all areas of the country. According to the Group, the exceptionally high rainfall and wet weather during the summer provided conditions suitable for the propagation of the snail intermediate host and the production of the infective stage of the liver fluke on all types of pasture.
Reacting to the report, Minister of State Killeen stated, “The information collated by the Advisory Group is based on a disease forecast model that uses weather data collected during the summer and autumn at Met Éireann weather stations across the country. I would urge all Clare farmers to follow the advice provided by the Advisory Group and to treat cattle and sheep as instructed. Farmers across Clare should also note that further information on liver fluke and its control and prevention is available from their local Teagasc office.”
Where cattle are routinely housed in late autumn, the timing of the administration of the fluke dose after the animals are brought in for the winter will depend on the type of flukicide used. However, on farms where cattle are kept outdoors on pasture for the winter, treatment should be carried out immediately and these animals may also need a further treatment in the New Year. Treatment of dairy cows for liver fluke is best carried out after drying off and not during lactation. As regards sheep, the advice is that they should be dosed now especially on those farms with a history of liver fluke. In general, further treatments, usually in January and April, are necessary for sheep that are out-wintered. All bought-in cattle and sheep should be kept isolated and dosed with an anthelmintic and flukicide before being allowed to join the main herd or flock.
The Advisory Group also advise that farmers should submit faecal samples from a representative number of treated animals (not less than 5) to the Department’s local Regional Veterinary Laboratories and the Parasitology Section at the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory at least three weeks post treatment to ensure efficacy of the anthelmintic used.
