Animal health specialist Virbac is offering sheep and cattle producers free on-farm liver fluke testing during autumn, when the harmful, yet often undetected parasite’s life cycle is at its most vulnerable to treatment.
While animals may not show any obvious symptoms, liver fluke attacks the liver and can cause on average between 5 and 10 per cent production losses in stock.
Damage inflicted includes liver damage; reduced wool production and quality; reduced lambing percentages and growth rates; reduced milk production in dairy cattle; and lower feed conversion rates in beef cattle. Research has shown removal of liver fluke at the earliest possible stage minimises severe liver damage and production losses.
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Also see: Frequently Asked Questions (pdf document, 1 page) on liver fluke
