This article is from page 31 of the 2005-11-15 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 31 JPG
CLARE cattle and sheep farmers were this week warned of a potential outbreak in liver fluke over the winter months. The warning was announced by the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture and Food John Browne after a study into the years weather patterns.
A liver fluke forecasting model, based on rain- fall during spring, summer and early autumn, predicts that the disease will be a big problem this year in cattle and sheep in Clare as-well-as other parts of the west, midwest, northwest and southwest of the country during the winter.
This is due to high rainfall during late summer and early autumn creating suitable conditions for the propagation of the snail intermediate host
and infective stages of the liver fluke.
The study was carried out by the Liver Fluke Advisory Group which is made up of members of the Central Veterinary Laboratory, the De- partment of Agriculture and Rural Development (Northern Ireland), Teagasc, Met Eireann, Phar- maceutical industry and the College of Life Sci- ences, University College Dublin.
The group has advised that farmers in high risk areas, such as Clare, should treat sheep im- mediately. They also advised that young cattle should be dosed right away and again after hous- ing while older cattle need only receive treatment after housing.
The timing of treatment after housing depends on the flukicide product being used. Cattle being kept on pasture for the winter should be treated
immediately and this treatment should be repeat- ed at regular intervals according to veterinary advice.
Minister Browne said that the treatment of dairy cows for liver fluke should be carried out at drying off and not during lactation, and also advised that all bought-in cattle and sheep should be kept isolated and treated for liver fluke before joining the main herd or flock.
The Central Veterinary Laboratory and the Regional Veterinary Laboratories can help vet- erinary practitioners and farmers by testing dung and blood samples for evidence of liver fluke eggs, antibodies and associated liver damage as well as monitoring the efficacy of anthelmintic treatment.