Dairy Event 2010: Gutworm costs industry £281m a year

Gutworms are costing dairy farmers up to £281m a year, according to figures released at the Dairy Event and Livestock Show.

The figures from Merial Animal Health‘s MOO test, which measures the level of antibodies in bulk milk as a marker for gutworms in adult cattle, found out of 464 farms 93% of herds were exposed to high gut worm challenge at grazing, explained the firm’s vet adviser Fiona MacGillivray.

“This means those herds exposed to high gutworm challenge could be missing out up to 2.2 litres of milk a day. But aside from milk loss, the sub-clinical effects means a challenge from gutworms could also be having an effect on fertility and growth rates, because energy is being channelled away from milk production and into producing antibodies to fight the gutworm,” she said.

But many dairy farmers often don’t believe they have a gutworm problem because there are no clinical signs, added Ms MacGillivray. “Although there are no obvious clinical effects in some gutworm cases in adult cows, there is plenty of research that shows worming cows improves both milk production and fertility.”

And for those farmers unsure of gutworm status on their farm, now is the ideal time to take a MOO test, she said. “The best time to take a MOO Test would be at the back end of the grazing season when the larvae are at their highest. Based on the results action can be taken whether to treat the whole herd or treat on an individual basis, such as when cows are calving down.”

• For more from the Dairy Event and Livestock Show click here

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