Advise sheep farmers on quarantine worming, says Elanco

Vets are being encouraged to advise sheep farmers to quarantine all sheep returning from winter grazing and dose with product from a new wormer group to prevent resistant worms being brought on to farm.

Matt Colston, ruminant technical consultant at Elanco Animal Health, said while the need to quarantine newly purchased stock was now common practice, the process was sometimes overlooked for sheep that had returned from grazing elsewhere.

‘Vital’

Mr Colston said: “It’s vital to remember that sheep returning from grazing other farms can pose the same risk as new incoming stock.

“Whether stock is grazing common land or rented ground, unless you’ve had sole use of that land for at least two years it’s important to treat these sheep as ‘incomers’ and use one of the newer actives to clear out any resistant worms.”

Wormer resistance is increasing, with 98% of farms reporting detectable resistance to one or more of the three older wormer classes.

Mr Colston added: “Resistant worms have a profound negative impact on flock health and performance, and once resistance to wormers has developed, it’s irreversible.

“Therefore, it’s vital that farmers, vets and other advisers work together to implement an effective worming strategy that both protects flock performance and preserves wormer efficacy.”

Recommendations

Mr Colston said it was important to quarantine new and at-risk returning sheep, started as soon as sheep arrived to stop them dropping worm eggs on to pasture. He also advised sheep were weighed and equipment calibrated to ensure accurate wormer dosing.

He added stock should be turned out on to “dirty” pasture that has already held sheep this season.

Mr Colston said: “This process will prevent worm eggs passing through the gut and being laid in ‘clean’ fields, risking other sheep.”

Further advice is available from Elanco’s worm tracker.