Now is the ideal time to incorporate a quality fluke treatment into your grazing parasite control programme.

The importance of treating cattle at grass for worms is widely accepted and practiced. However, the treatment of cattle for liver fluke is often neglected.

Liver fluke, if left untreated, can lead to reduced performance and health problems in cattle at grass.

Early infection with liver fluke

The mild winter of 2016/2017 allowed for the survival of high levels of immature liver fluke on pasture.

Therefore, as cattle were turned out to grass, they were exposed to these infective fluke stages and can become heavily infected with liver fluke by early to mid-summer.

If left untreated, weight gain can be significantly reduced. Research shows that the liveweight gain in cattle with fluke can be reduced by as much as 1.2kg/week and even moderate levels have an effect.

Treating your cattle

Closamection Pour On is effective against adult and late immature fluke; so using it to treat cattle that have been out for eight-to-10 weeks will kill fluke that were picked up early in the grazing season.

This treatment will reduce the burden of fluke in the cattle; but will 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 your cattle will be treated for gastrointestinal and lung worms in one easy-to-apply, pour-on solution.

Below Kieran O’Mahony, a veterinary surgeon, from the Glen Veterinary Clinic in Tipperary Town speaks about the success his clients have had with Closamectin Pour On.

He also discusses why farmers need to treat during the grazing period as well as during/at housing.

More information

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. Click here for more information