The Farmers Mart Aug/Sep 2013 - Issue 29 | Page 44

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FORTH MONITOR FARM FIGHTS BACK FLUKE CHALLENGE
The family which runs the Forth monitor farm are fighting back against the causes of disappointing returns from their cattle and sheep, with fluke their main target.
The 815 acre (330 ha) Arnprior Farm, 12 miles west of Stirling, farmed by Duncan McEwen and his son also Duncan, is one of the network of Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) monitor farms throughout Scotland. The McEwens’ lambing and calving percentages for 2013 are down on recent years, as with many Scottish livestock farms. The 550 ewes scanned lower than previous years at 178%, with the final lambing figure just over 150%, a fall of more than 10% compared to 2012. “The bad weather at lambing time didn’t help,” said Duncan (jnr). “But we also lost some lambs with pneumonia, and the results of post mortem showed that this had been caused by them having received poor quality colostrum, which was due to the ewes having been challenged by liver fluke.” “We’re convinced fluke, which hadn’t been a significant problem on the farm until 2011, is at the base of most fertility issues and is undermining everything we do,” said Duncan (snr). The in-calf cows turned out in the third week of May recently escalated the McEwens fluke concerns. They were treated for fluke 10 weeks after housing, with Ivermectin and Clorsulon. “At the May monitor farm meeting the cows had just been turned out. We were advised to dung sample them,” said Duncan (jnr). The dung sample results shocked us – the cows were positive for both adult liver and rumen fluke. This was a double concern – firstly we hadn’t realised that rumen fluke was on the farm and secondly, the treatment the cows received 10 weeks after housing should have taken out everything other than the rumen fluke.” To ensure the cows received the correct amount of flukicide, the McEwens had individually weighed each animal, then drawn the correct amount of drug for the weight of the animal, into the syringe. “I spoke to a vet to establish how these cows could have mature liver fluke in them, explained Duncan (snr) . “The vet suggested some immature liver flukes may have been in the systems of the cows when they were treated. “Also, the morning after they were dosed, some of the cows were clearly subdued. The vet explained that when there is a heavy liver fluke infestation, some of the mature fluke killed by the treatment, can lodge in the bile duct.” After receiving the sample results, the McEwens treated the cows with Levamisole and Oxyclozanide. Dr Philip Skuce, a senior Research Scientist at the Moredun Research Institute, has

‘It’s vital that we know our enemy’
spoken at a number of monitor farms on the subject of fluke. He says rumen fluke treatment options are extremely limited. “Oxyclozanide is the only effective treatment for rumen fluke; but the presence of rumen fluke alone in the absence of clinical signs should not be taken as an indication to blanket-treat the whole herd/flock.” “Rumen fluke is a new challenge, and we’re concerned as to how much impact it has, particularly in a beast already infected with liver fluke,” saidDuncan Jnr. “We will continue to monitor the cows closely, particularly as there is only one product to control rumen fluke, so it’s crucial that it’s administered correctly and used prudently.

‘The 550 ewes scanned lower than previous years at 178%, with the final lambing figure just over 150%’
But the performance of the suckler herd has been the McEwens biggest disappointment. “When we scanned the 64 cows in early January, 14 of them were empty,” explained Duncan (junior). “The empty cows ranged in age from four to eight. The scanner confirmed their ovaries were fine, yet none of them had been seen bulling since housing on 6th October.” There was better news with the first calvers, bulled in summer 2012. All have produced a second calf this year.

‘We obviously wish we had tested the in-calf cows well before turn out’
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