Is Your Drench Effective?

01 Jan 2019

This year’s wet conditions have brought many challenges for agricultural producers on the North Coast, one of which is roundworm burdens in livestock, with North Coast Local Land Services veterinarians seeing cases of heavy worm burdens in young cattle this year.

Often, cattle have been drenched recently with a product that has not been effective and whilst resistance profiles vary from property to property, recent trial work conducted on the North Coast has confirmed that drench resistance to the macrocyclic lactone (“ML” or “mectin”) group is an increasing issue. This class of drench makes up the majority of injectable and pour-on products available.

Recent drench trials conducted on the North Coast demonstrated that cattle with ineffective barbers pole worm control were 10kg lighter than those drenched with a highly effective drench after 28 days. Further information on these trials can be found at the Department of Primary Industries website: Drench resistant worms on the NSW North Coast.

Our district vets are advising cattle producers to be mindful of potential drench resistance when considering their next drench. The team can also provide worm test kits that can help in determining if worms are an issue in your animals, when drenching is required and if your drench has been effective.

For further information on worm testing and drenching programs contact our team on 1300 795 299.