
A new – and faster – Covid-style test-at-home kit for liver fluke in ruminants could bring benefits for sheep producers, writes Nerys Wright.
Covid has a lot to answer for, but helping on-farm testing is not one that would have been top of my list. The experience of using a lateral flow device is making a new liver fluke test more feasible for farmers.
A pen side lateral flow test for liver fluke, developed by the University of Liverpool and made commercially available by Norbrook has recently been made available here in the UK. Previously, blood samples to detect exposure to liver fluke would have been sent off to the lab for analysis.
This test can be done on your farm, and you will get an answer in minutes. You can only buy the kits through your farm vet, and their help in interpreting the result and advising on product choice, does not eliminate the role of your vet in testing for liver fluke. But it does speed up the testing.
After a wet and mild summer and autumn for many farms, forecasts suggest 2024/25 may be a high liver fluke challenge for some areas.
When facing a high risk, the temptation is to treat with a flukicide. But testing to know when the risk is present on your farm could help you treat at the optimum time, such as when your animals have been exposed.
The kits are available in packs of 10 and the advice is to use all ten on the same management group to get a representative sample of the presence of fluke. Ideally, animals grazing different areas of land or different age groups, would be tested separately.
Only use this test in first season grazer, eg lambs under the age of one. This is because the test cannot differentiate between new or recent infection and historic infection.
A negative test does not give you a clean bill of health for the rest of the year – so discuss with your vet or advisor about the interval between testing again.
Other testing options are available on the SCOPS website at www.scops.org.uk.
Nerys Wright is an independent sheep consultant. For more details, call 07891 187643 or visit sheepconsultancy.co.uk.
Supplement poor forage carefully, says expert
Beef and sheep rations should be supplemented carefully this winter due to poor quality, say livestock experts.
Hay and grass silage samples analysed by Wynnstay suggest forage quality is below target this year – highlighting the need for careful supplementation with energy and protein during the winter months.
Forage profile
Adjustments will help maximise the nutritional value of rations, says Wynnstay national sheep and beef manager Bryn Hughes. “Understanding your forage’s profile is the first step in optimising herd or flock health and productivity,” he adds.
Hay samples suggest some crude protein (CP) levels are below 6.5% – well under the ideal 8-11% range. “Low protein levels are concerning,” says Mr Hughes, sho suggests farmers have their own forage tested.
“Mature, late-cut grasses divert nutrients to structural carbohydrates, which lowers protein content. Farmers must balance this with protein supplements to maintain livestock performance.”
The grass silage analysis pointed to similar concerns, showing CP levels at an average of 9.3%, significantly below the target range of 12-16%. High pH levels, averaging 4.6, further compounded the issue.
“Elevated pH allows clostridia to break down protein into ammonia, rendering it less useful to livestock and diminishing the feed’s nutritional value,” explained Mr Hughes. “This can negatively affect growth rates and cause health issues.”
Neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and lignin levels in grass silage were notably high at 68.3% and 6.3%, respectively, indicating a harvest of overly mature grass. “Excessive NDF means more structural carbohydrates, which slow digestion and reduce feed intake.
Additionally, butyric acid levels averaged 0.6%, exceeding the desired <0.1% threshold, indicating poor fermentation and suboptimal silage preservation, which can compromise feed quality.
“Supplementing lower-protein forage with high-protein feed is necessary to sustain livestock productivity,” he advised. “And incorporating yeast metabolites can aid fibre digestion and support rumen health, making fibrous silage more manageable.”
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