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CurrentBlowfly risk is high; be aware that preventive treatments applied early in the season may be reaching the reaching the end of their efficacy.
Liver fluke risk is still low. Due to the fluke life cycle, there is a considerable lag between optimum weather conditions (wet and warm) and the infective stage being present on pasture - the incredibly wet July weather will take a while to exert its impact. The low rainfall last August to October, and May/June this year, means infection risk is still low. Fluke products have no persistent action, so treating too soon is a waste of time. Testing once the alert level increases (probably next month) will help guide treatment timing. Blood samples provide a sensitive and early indicator of infection and can be pooled, making this a cost-effective way of screening. Speak to one of our farm vets for further advice
Parasitic gastroenteritis risk is high, and the recent rainfall may result in a rapid increase in worm burdens as pasture contaminated earlier in the season suddenly becomes highly infective. Use a combination of worm egg counting and growth rate monitoring to stay a step ahead. The risk includes haemonchosis (caused by the blood-sucking gut roundworm), which can affect adult ewes as well as growing lambs (cattle tend not to be affected). Checking the colour of the conjunctiva (fleshy part of the eye) can be very helpful: it should be pink, not pale. FAMACHA scoring can help this be more accurate.
Lungworm may also be a concern in cattle, particularly if unvaccinated - be alert to persistent coughing of multiple animals, and treat with wormer. Severely affected animals may require a slightly different approach, in which case seek advice from your vet.