Denis Quirke runs a dairy and beef enterprise in Clonoulty, Co. Tipperary, deep in the heart of the golden vale.
All calves that are born on the farm to his Friesian herd are retained and reared to beef. The Friesian heifers go back into the dairy herd as replacements and the remainder are finished at approximately 24-30 months.
Denis has a very effective programme in place to deal with liver fluke in his cattle. All young stock receive a mid-to-late summer treatment with Closamectin Pour On.
Denis is keen to monitor fluke levels in his cattle and pays close attention to animal performance as well as factory reports.
Explaining how easy it is to use the product, he said: “Closamectin Pour On means I can treat heavy beef cattle on my own.
Closamectin Pour On is both easy on me and the cattle. Above all, my cattle thrive after treatment.
Denis discussed dosing programmes with Maura Langan, Norbrook’s veterinary advisor.
Maura explained: “Liver fluke, if left untreated, can lead to reduced performance and health problems in cattle at grass.
“Research shows that the live weight gain in cattle with fluke can be reduced by as much as 1.2kg/week and even moderate levels have an effect.
“Closamection Pour On is effective against adult and late immature fluke, so using it to treat cattle that have been out on grass for eight-to-10 weeks will kill fluke that were picked up early in the grazing season.”
This treatment, she said, will help to reduce the burden of fluke in the cattle and also help to reduce reinfection of the pasture that causes liver fluke infections in the peak late autumn / early winter risk period.
Closamectin Pour On also contains ivermectin, so cattle will be treated for gastrointestinal and lung worms in one easy-to-apply, pour-on solution.
The stress-free way to treat fluke and worms
Closamectin Pour On is the stress-free way to treat fluke and worms this summer to ensure maximum productivity and reduce the threat of infection going into the peak risk period.