The launch of Tracesure Advanced represents a significant step forward in ruminant trace element supplementation, combining proven precision and performance with greater practicality on-farm.

Most grass and forages are deficient in essential trace elements. Trace element deficiencies can creep in quietly - compromising health, reducing fertility, slowing growth, impairing development, and negatively impacting performance.

Livestock must always have enough cobalt, copper, and selenium to survive and thrive.

Cobalt is converted by rumen bacteria into vitamin B12, essential for energy, metabolism, growth, and pregnancy.
Copper is essential for enzyme function and healthy weight gain. A deficiency can be due to low dietary levels or interference from antagonists in soil, water, or feed.
Iodine is an essential component of thyroid hormones responsible for regulating metabolism, so directly influencing metabolic diseases and feed conversion efficiency.
Selenium is essential for cell function, immune system performance, and reproduction. Selenium helps to neutralise harmful free radicals and protect cells from oxidative stress.
Manganese is essential for skeletal and reproductive health, enzyme activation, and fat metabolism. A deficiency can lead to malformed bones, poor growth, reduced fertility, and fatty liver.
Zinc is essential for immune function, growth, and reproduction, acting as a cofactor for enzymes involved in protein synthesis, metabolism and energy regulation, and immune response.

Preventing these profit-hitting trace element deficiency issues is not straightforward. Delivering the right trace elements in the right amounts at the right time requires precise, consistent, and reliable supplementation.

Most soil, and therefore most grass and forages, are deficient in one or more essential trace elements. A trace element deficiency risk is highest when:

Soil is naturally low in trace elements – i.e. fast-draining sandy soils;
Grass growth is rapid, effectively diluting trace element levels;
Rainfall is high, causing ‘soil splash’ and exposing grazing livestock to trace element antagonists;
Animals have an increased trace element demand, such as during breeding and pregnancy;
Animals have a reduced appetite - if they are ill or pre-partum - reducing their feed intakes.

A soil, forage and/or blood analysis will detail if there is a risk of trace element deficiency on your farm.

Bolus supplementation is fail-safe way of ensuring every ruminant has a continuous and long-term supply of enough of these essential trace elements, but only if the bolus actually works.

How well a trace element bolus works depends on:

The trace element concentration of the bolus;
How the bolus releases trace elements;
How well the trace elements are absorbed;
The retention reliability of the bolus within the rumen.

Supplying high levels of cobalt, copper (optional), iodine, and selenium from one single compact and durable bolus, Tracesure Advanced is the next generation of trace element bolus technology engineered for farmers who require precision, performance, and practicality on farm.

Building on Tracesure’s original diffusion release mechanism as the core mode of action, Tracesure Advanced now also utilises surface-layer erosion to ensure these trace elements are gradually released, absorbed, stored, and utilised over time.

Tracesure Advanced offers unique advantages that set a new benchmark in livestock micronutrition.

Tracesure Advanced maintains the proven mode of action of Tracesure.

Its core mechanism is diffusion, where water continually penetrates the bolus, enabling the controlled release of essential trace elements into the rumen fluid. In addition, the bolus’ outer surface gradually erodes over time.

Together, these two mechanisms ensure a consistent and reliable supply of trace elements throughout the bolus’ six-month active lifespan.

A unique patented manufacturing process enables Tracesure Advanced to incorporate high levels of all essential trace elements into a single, compact bolus.

In contrast, the legacy Tracesure product required copper to be delivered in a separate bolus, and many other boluses on the market demand multiple applications to achieve the same coverage.

Here’s what’s inside the Tracesure Advanced cattle range:

Tracesure Advanced is backed by over 90 years of combined veterinary expertise in animal health, supported by ongoing research, development, and patented state-of-the-art production techniques.

It also upholds the trusted trace element specifications established in Tracesure.

Tracesure Advanced is now packaged in a weather-resistant, resealable container to safeguard bolus integrity when stored in typical farm conditions.

The boluses are neatly stacked within a cardboard inner, offering added protection during transit. The vertical presentation of the boluses also makes handling and administration more straightforward.

Mark O’Brien, Commercial Manager Ireland, has played a central role in the development of this next-generation bolus technology.

He said: “I am very excited to be bringing Tracesure Advanced to the Irish market.

"Ideally suited to Irish farm systems, our next generation bolus uses diffusion and erosion technology to deliver the required levels of traces elements.

"The fact that this is now all combined in just one bolus adds greater practicality on farm and with the addition of the new moisture resistant packaging, the product is well protected and easy to use."

Tracesure Advanced continues to operate on the trusted principle of diffusion and retains the signature grooved surface of the original Tracesure bolus.

It also delivers the same application versatility, six-month cover period, and comparable size and weight as before.

This next-generation bolus now incorporates an enhanced mode of action, refined formulation, cutting-edge science, and improved packaging - each element designed to elevate precision, performance, and practicality on-farm.

Connect with our team at the National Dairy Show on October 10–11, 2025 to discover how Tracesure Advanced can help optimise your transition dry cow period.