NSW Floods

Firstly, our thoughts go out to all those affected by the floods in NSW. It seems as though every time I sit down to write a newsletter there has been some sort of major disaster confronting those on the Land. Hopefully this will be the last one for a while(!!) and that affected properties are now getting back to some sort of normality.

NLIS Readers

We are now selling well priced Swiss made Datamars NLIS Tag readers. These are ideal for getting you records up to date for EU accreditation and tech support is only a phone call away. We are in the process of evaluating a race reader from the same supplier. Click here to read more.

Foot Abscess in Sheep Last year we supplied a special form of our Vetmec Mineral Mix to the NSW DPI, high in Iodine and Zinc, to dose mobs of heavily pregnant crossbred ewes to investigate as to whether this supplementation may assist in the reduction of cases of foot abscess. (an absolute scourge in some flocks over recent times). Results to date have been encouraging and several more flocks have trialled this product this year.

Vetmec F – Great News At long last we have obtained APVMA approval for a nil milk withholding on our Vetmec F meaning it can now be used in lactating dairy cattle – great news for our dairy clients in liver fluke areas To facilitate this there has been a slight change in solvents which has meant that the product is also ‘thinner’ and goes through the gun more easily which is also great news especially on those cold days when the previous formulation tended to get a bit ‘thick’ and hard to push through the gun.

Milford Track Ruth and I completed the Milford Track (in the South Island of New Zealand) in early March and I thoroughly recommend it to all of those who have not walked it. The weather was very kind (the rainfall in Fiordland is 240+ inches – 20 feet!) and the Beech forest and wilderness scenery is absolutely spectacular. I took the rod but couldn’t tempt any of the massive trout clearly visable in the crystal clear streams with the lure. A real highlight of the trip was the helicopter ride through the craggy peaks of the Southern Alps back to Queenstown.

Kind regards,

Dr Murray Grant 

 

Chemvet – social and online!

Jane has set up Twitter & Facebook pages for Chemvet – so make sure you follow us to keep on top of Chemvet news and promotions. Like our Facebook page by the end of April and we’ll send you voucher for 10% OFF your next Chemvet order! Simply visit our page here, like us, and you’ll receive a message into your facebook inbox with voucher details!

Product Listing May 2012

	Vetmec Antiparisitic Cattle Injection 500mL (50 x 500kg doses per pack) Vetmec Antiparisitic Cattle Injectionis a non-sting, Abamectin based antiparasitic injection effective against a broad range of internal and external parasites including gastro-intestinal roundworms, lungworms and sucking lice. It also aids in the control of cattle tick. Independent studies have shown the Vetmec formulation to have a similar persistent activity to that of other similar types of injectable products. SPECIAL – FREE gun and needles with orders over 10 packs! $135.00 + GST > 5 packs $125.00 + GST Contact us for quotes for larger orders ORDER ONLINE
	Vetmec F Broad Spectrum Antiparisitic Cattle Injection 500mL (50 x 500kg doses per pack) Vetmec F is a non-sting , broad spectrum , ivermectin and clorsulon based anti-parasitic injection for cattle. Includes liver fluke control. Treats and controls all in the one injection : Worms, Fluke, Lice, Mange, Ticks. Currently the most cost effective product on the Australian Market. SPECIAL – FREE gun and needles with orders over 10 packs! $165.00 + GST ORDER ONLINE
	Vetmec Pour-on 10L (400 x 500kg doses per pack) A quality oil based ‘pour-on’ drench that has virutally no odour for both Beef and Dairy cattle at a very competitive price with nil milk withholding! Treat for under $2 per head for a 500 Kg adult. Treat and control all with the one application: Worms, Lice, Mange, Ticks, Buffalo fly. Low volume formulation – only 25 mL for 500 Kgs, with organic solvents. “Easy on the gun, easy on the animal” $1000 + GST SPECIAL $728 + GST ORDER ONLINE
	Vetmec Pour-on 2.5L (100 x 500kg doses per pack) A quality ‘pour-on’ for both Beef and Dairy cattle at a very competitive price with nil milk withholding! Treat for $3 per head for a 500 Kg adult. Treat and control all with the one application: Worms, Lice, Mange, Ticks, Buffalo fly. Low volume formulation – only 25 mL for 500 Kgs, with organic solvents. SPECIAL buy two 2.5L packs and receive a free 30mL pour-on applicator! $300.00 + GST ORDER ONLINE
	Vetmec LV Plus Selenium 10L (2000 x 50kg doses per pack) Vetmec LV plus Selenium Oral Drench for Sheep is an effective drench against a wide range of adult and immature worms. This formulation has added Selenium for the treatment and prevention of selenium deficiencies. Abamectin 2.0 g/L Selenium 1.0 g/L The active ingredient Abamectin is very effective and has been shown to remain effective for a time following the emergence of resistance to ivermectin in sheep. “Use in conjunction with Vetmec DUAL for a very cost effective ‘resitance braking’ 3 way drench!” $180.00 + GST ORDER ONLINE
	Vetmec DUAL 10L (2000 x 50kg doses per pack) A low volume combination of white and clear drench for sheep and lambs containing Albendazole and levamisole. For the control of Gastrointestinal round worms sensitive to Benzimadazoles and Levamisole including those resistant to either Benzimadazoles or Levamisole. Also controls Lungworm and Tapeworm (both heads and segments) as well as reducing viable worm eggs (ovicidal). Use with VETMEC LV for ‘resistance breaking’ 3 way combination drench. “Use in conjuection with Vetmec LV for a very cost effective ‘resitance braking’ 3 way drench!” $200.00 + GST ORDER ONLINE
	Vetmec Mineral Mix 440g (2000 x 50kg doses per pack) Fully mineralised additive to drench alongside Vetmec LV plus Selenium or Vetmec Dual. Vetmec Mineral Mix contains 4 major trace elements : Copper, Cobalt, Iodine and Zinc. All of these elements are essential for growth, development, health and reproduction in sheep and goats. Each of these trace elements in Vetmec Mineral Mix are in a special chelated form which are highly soluble and readily available to the animal compared with other forms of these trace elements. “Only 2.5c per 50kg Sheep.” $50.00 + GST ORDER ONLINE
	Vetmec Palatable Allwormer Tablets for Dogs 10 Tablets (10 x 20kg doses per pack) Each tablet contains: 100 mg PRAZIQUANTEL• 450 mg OXIBENDAZOLE Vetmec Palatable Allwormer for Dogs is for the treatment and control of Roundworm, Hookworm, Whipworm, Tapeworm (Dipylidium caninum) including the Hydatids Tapeworm (Echinococcus granulosus) in dogs.* The tablets come in a convenient and economical farmer sized pack (treats 10 average sized dogs), are liver flavoured and treat all intestinal worms including the Hydatids Tapeworm. “Most dogs eat them out of your hand!” $30.00 + GST ORDER ONLINE
	NLIS Tags The once-in stay-in NLIS Tags With 98.7% retention rate over 3 years in extensive commercial trails, DATAMARS NILS tags are a Swiss designed and extremely high quality flexible plastic tag with the transponder encased in fibreglass which gives shock resistance and longer life. 100% retention in latest comparative trials.Being triangular, our tags allow up to 80% more aeration than round tags. Aerated application means that the tag wound heals quicker with fewer infections. DATAMARS’ surgical plastic “tri-swivel” locking mechanism results in a cleaner wound and less snagging. Can use regular allflex applicator, or purchase one from Chemvet. SPECIAL Free applicator with all orders > 100 tags! $3.00 + GST (Price includes printing, male button & freight) ORDER ONLINE
	Visual Tags - Customise your tags Option to have lines like your property name and NLIS Tag Number printed on to tags at no extra cost. Aerated application means that the tag wound heals quicker with fewer infections. Fewer infections means less irritation, which lessens rubbing which is one of the major causes of tag loss. Available in 4 colours (White, Orange, Green & Yellow) – simply choose your colour when ordering. Alflex applicators can be used to attach tags and quality applicators can be purchased with your order if required. $1.00 + GST (Price includes printing, male button & freight) ORDER ONLINE
	Vetmec 12mL Injector Accurate and durable ‘Dial a dose’ injector from 1 mL to 12 mL in 0.5 mL increments. New improved needle hub. $35.00 + GST ORDER ONLINE
	Vetmec Needles 16g x 1?2” needles for easy and accurate subcutaneous injection in cattle. These needles are very strong and retain their sharpness far longer than other brands of needles. $5.50 + GST ORDER ONLINE
	Vetmec Pour-on Applicator A robust pour-on applicator with enough capacity for easy, fast and accurate ‘one squirt’ application of Vetmec Pour-on. 30mL in 1mL increments. Fan tip nozzle for best possible hide/skin application $45.00 + GST ORDER ONLINE
	Vetmec Sheep Drenching Gun A very sturdy and accurate ‘Dial a dose’ drencher with 15 mL capacity in 0.5 mL increments for 1-10 mL and 1.0 mL for 10 – 15 mL. Steel nozzle. $45.00 + GST ORDER ONLINE
	Vetmec Slapshot A 78cm flexible needle extension tube fitted to the end of our gun for a safer and easier way to inject your cattle. $12.00 + GST ORDER ONLINE
	5L “Collapsible Back-pack” Very handy ergonomic collapsible back-pack with inner “bottom draw- off ” tube to guarantee no spills!. Comes complete with straps and dual size spigot 4.6mm & 6.4mm for different sized delivery hoses. $35.00 + GST ORDER ONLINE
	Vetmec Cattle Prodder Extremely robust and reliable cattle prodder at a very reasonable price. Flexible with “near unbreakable shaft”. $115 + GST ORDER ONLINE
	Tag Applicator Quality universal tag applicator from DATAMARS – Swiss tecnhnology and quality. Used to apply our NLIS Tags or Visual Tags. Can be used to apply Allfex tags also. $30 + GST ORDER ONLINE

 

As of March 2012, Vetmec can now supply Vetmec F with a NIL Milk Witholding Period.

Price: $165 + GST

Please accept our very best wishes for a happy and safe Xmas and a prosperous new year!

From Murray, Ron & Staff at Chemvet Australia

2012 – Year of the Dragon & The Farmer!

In Chinese mythology the dragon represents the Emperor (China) and power so it augurs well for China to remain strong and shake off the economic malaise currently effecting Europe. A healthy China means a healthy Australia in economic terms. (although for the cocky the resulting high Aust $ can be a bit of a downside)

The Chinese dragon is said to have the head of an Ox so it should also be a great year for the cattleman! It is also the Australian Year of the Farmer – a year long celebration recognising the significant contribution Agriculture plays to Australia’s economy and prosperity.

Vetmec Palatable Allwormer Tablets for dogs

Give the dogs a Xmas treat – include a pack of Vetmec Allwormer in their Xmas stocking!

Remember that Hydatids is still a big risk on mainland Australian pastoral properties and can be a life threatening disease in humans so if city relatives (especially children) are visiting the farm over the holiday period get them to maintain good hygiene (wash their hands) after handling the farm dogs.

Since our launch of this product in early 2010 we have supplied a staggering 20,000 dog doses of this product to our clients with many repeat orders. This is great because it means many of our clients in pastoral areas recognize the importance of regular worm treatments for the health of their dogs as well as that of them selves, their staff and their family’s.

NLIS Readers

We are now selling two very economical Datamars NLIS tag readers to the Australian market

GES3S Reads NLIS Tags + Data Collector Bluetooth Stores up to 1M records (1GB) Program 20 fields of data Big display screen 100% water & dust proof $1330 (GST Incl) ORDER

Bluestick Stores up to 1M records Bluetooth USB Charger LED Display Vibrates & Beeps UBS & RS232 Interface $759 (GST Incl) ORDER

Also, panel reader will soon be available at around $2000 per unit

Line up the male spike with the hole prior to tagging.

NLIS Application Hint… We are getting some reports of tag applicator pins bending. One way to prevent this is; before applying each tag always check that the tag is in the right position and that the male spike is aligned with the hole in the NLIS or visual tag. This ensures that the tag locks properly immediately on piercing the ear allowing for easy release of the tag applicator. If this is not done and the animal pulls its head away with the pin still in the tag then the pin will become bent. If the pin does get a bit bent, make sure you straighten it up before applying the next tag.

Dr Murray Grant

Production and Herd or Flock Health Advice One of the strengths of Chemvet is having an experienced sheep and cattle veterinarian on board who has a very strong background in providing Herd and flock health advice and in particular parasite control programmes. With the return of years with high rainfall and a couple of wet summers in a row means that there is a lot less margin for error as far as your worm control programme is concerned. Whether you have used Chemvet products or not, if you feel that your parasite control programme is in trouble or needs tweaking, please don’t hesitate to give Chemvet a call. ‘Parasite control is just like running a successful footy season’ Dr. Murray Grant says. If you wait until the first game of the season, get walloped and then try and fix it up as you go through the season then all you will get is disastrous results all season. However if you get a good ‘pre-season’ programme under your belt (ie sound drenching, egg count testing, nutritional and grazing programs from now right through to next Winter) then the you will be able to look forward to minimal troubles through winter and spring and onto weaning.

Why Vetmec Injectable is still the best!

Administration by injection ensures that 100% of the dose is delivered to the subcutaneous area where it readily enters the blood stream. The following data is taken from the Chemvet Study OZY9709 where Abamectin blood levels following Vetmec injection were compared to a APVMA registered commercial pour-on formulation. The results speak for themselves about the effectiveness of Vetmec Antiparasitic Cattle Injection. Being abamectin is also an added bonus!

Holiday Period Availability

We all know that Farming and animal husbandry is a 24 hour, 365 days per year job. The farm can’t shut down for a holiday break!

Therefore Chemvet doesn’t either. The office will be manned on all working days throughout the Xmas and New Year period.

Also the phones are always switched through to one of our mobiles after hours, during the weekend or on public holidays so we are always available to process an order or to give advice. We also receive an alert when any orders are placed over the Internet so these are attended to 24/7 as well. So no matter what day or time of day it is over the break, if you have a query or an order, don’t hesitate to give us a call and someone will be available to assist you.

Having said all the above, our freight options will be very limited Monday 26th and Tuesday 27th December and Monday 2nd January as these are public holidays. If you feel that you will need product around these times it may pay to get the order in mid December so that it’s on hand ready to go when you need it.

Milford Sound

Chemvet NEWS Murray decided to test the surgeons skills (ankle reconstruction last year) and with his wife Ruth has signed up to walk the Milford track in the south island of New Zealand in March 2012. Training has already started!

Follow @ChemvetAust

That being said, we have recently branched out to include high quality accessories such as NLIS tags from DATAMARS Australia, which are swiss designed and excellent quality (click here to read about their lifetime retention guarantee!). We now also stock RFID Readers for Cattle & Sheep. These devices allow data transfer via Bluetooth when scanning animals in the field or in the race, and can be connected to a computer or laptop through a USB cable for data download. Thanks to the included Rumisoft software package, the management of the livestock application files becomes extremely easy and fast.

RFID Tag Readers – NEW from Chemvet 

On the 12th October the Australian Federal Government passed into law the Clean Energy Future Bills bringing about the imposition of a tax on Carbon from July 2012 and probably more importantly enshrining the Labour minority Government’s Clean Energy Future Policy

The Opposition has vowed to repeal these laws if they are elected at the next election however the majority of pundits are predicting that if this Government runs full term then this will be nigh on impossible to unravel so it looks as though the country is now stuck with it.

Under the Policy, the carbon pricing mechanism will commence on July 1st 2012 with the Nations top 500 polluters being charged a fixed price of $23 per tonne of CO2 emission. This will rise to around $25.40 by July 1st 2015. At this date this carbon price will transition to a fully flexible price under an emissions trading scheme with the price then determined by the market.

Is this good or bad for grazing and pastoral businesses and what can be done about it ?? Here is my take:

Bad news

In the short term suppliers to the agricultural sector will immediately pass on any carbon tax impost so farm input costs will rise with little compensation to the farmer. High energy users such as the dairy sector will have significant direct cost increases. The higher cost of energy to the businesses processing and distributing agricultural produce will in part be taken out of farm gate prices with farm returns and profitability taking the hit.

Good news

The policy states: ‘that farmers and land managers will receive significant support (presumably from the tax so generated) to pursue climate change action on their land and enhance biodiversity through a suite of measures, such as the Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI), the Carbon Farming Futures program and a new Biodiversity Fund.’

That is, farmers will be ‘paid’ to undertake measures such as rangeland restoration, fire management, manure management, management of methane from livestock and increasing soil carbon sequestration and biochar. However proving up any of these projects will be extremely complex and subject to a huge amount of bureaucracy. Agricultural peak organisations have to become actively involved here (and quick smart) to lobby and prove the methodologies of carbon offset farming otherwise this will be left to the realm of the get rich quick city based (MIS) fund managers and the likely unnecessary destocking of otherwise sustainably productive farmland.

Take for instance destocking large rangeland properties. Under the CFI there could be two carbon dollar ($carbon) streams: one from rangeland restoration sequestering more carbon in plants, grasses humus and soils as a result of greater plant growth due to destocking, and also greenhouse gas abatement income as a result of destocking several 1000 cattle and hence removing a source of methane emissions – do the sums – at $23 per tonne of greenhouse gas this could add up to several $M per property per year.

Possible very bad news

The Policy states CO2 and methane emissions from agriculture are to be excluded from a carbon price however this will be reviewed in 2015. Carbon credits generated by the above may be offset greatly by a price being applied to carbon emissions from agricultural activity and in particular the grazing of livestock

What farmers can do about it?

Bugger all in the short term.

In the longer term?

Farm ‘carbon smart’ by foreseeing and implementing practices that will reduce green house gas emissions and making sure that you take advantage of any $carbon offset that is available to the farming operation from these ie ‘milk the carbon minimisation system’

As always, keep concentrating on increased production efficiency ie increase the net production per unit of feed consumed in the grazing operation – animal type, genetics, disease control, pasture production, grazing management etc etc. This could also generate $carbon under the CFI as well as mitigate any future impost on methane emissions

What can Chemvet do about it?

The profitability of our clients is important to us as is our commitment to providing quality animal health solutions at a cost effective price. Therefore Chemvet will be fighting to keep any cost increases from this tax to a minimum and commits to a two year freeze on the regular announced prices of our Vetmec range of products (beat that Julia!!)

Kind Regards, Murray Grant

Rugby World Cup

By the time this Newsletter is delivered the winner of the 2011 Rugby World Cup will be decided. Ron is barracking for the Wallabies and Murray for the Allblacks. (Kiwi heritage hard to let go when it comes to Rugby) Hopefully one of us will be pleased with the result and that Wales or France doesn’t spoil the party! Go Walla-Blacks!!

Beef Expo Rockhampton – May 2012

The Beef Expo only comes around every three years – seems like yesterday that we were up at Rocky for the last one. This is a world class event and well worth making the trip if you can. We are running a stand again and look forward to catching up with all our clients who make it up there in May.

New Website

As you can see if you’re reading this online, the Chemvet Website has been revamped. Online ordering form the new online store is really easy for the time poor and for those who prefer to order this way. However, we still like a chat with our clients when they ring up to order!

News Flash

Registration has just been granted for our VETMEC F with NIL MILK WITHHOLDING FOR DAIRY CATTLE. This is great news for our Dairy clients who wish to treat their cows for liver fluke and worms whilst they are still milking. Stock of this product will be available in early 2012!

New Products

NLIS Round Tags

Our Datamars range of tags has been extended to include a round NLIS tag to supply those who prefer a round tag. The price is a keen $2.70 each with a standard handling and postage fee of $10.00. A free applicator is supplied if required for all order over 100 tags. Click here to read more.

NLIS Triangle Tags – Datamars Retention Guarantee

Datamars are now offering a lifetime retention guarantee on their triangular NLIS tags. If you take this option Datamars supplies a FREE large visual matching management tag with the triangular NLIS tough tag. For our Victorian clients who presently receive a subsidised non Datamars NLIS tag this deal, if you take the cost of the Management tag in to account, means that you can receive a high quality Datamars NLIS tag roughly equal to the present subsidised price. Click here to read more about the Datamars Retention Guarantee.

Vetmec Injectors – 5mL and 2mL now available

We have now in stock 2mL and 5mL versions of our highly popular Vetmec dial a dose Injectors for those who are injecting smaller amounts of Vetmec and other drugs. The 2mL gun can adjusted in 2mL increments and the 5 mL gun in 0.5 mL increments. Both of these high quality guns are priced at $35.00 + GST. Click here to read more or to order these cattle injection guns.

People News

Ron recently took a break and travelled to Phuket, Thailand with his wife Catherine. He had a great time taking in the sites, feasting on plenty of exotic food and eating loads of bananas at only 25 cents a kg!

As you can see you can’t keep him away from livestock! But looks like this elephant could really do with a good dose of Vetmec Pour-on…

That being said, we have recently branched out to include high quality accessories such as NLIS tags from DATAMARS Australia, which are swiss designed and excellent quality (click here to read about their lifetime retention guarantee!)

See our new products as of October 2011 listed below:

New Chemvet Products

	NLIS Round Tags High retention, quality round NLIS tags from Datamars. Order your RFID tags direct from Chemvet! “Swiss technology & quality!” Price: $2.70 +GST (minimum order of 25) $2.70 + GST  ORDER ONLINE
	Vetmec 2mL Injector Accurate and durable ‘Dial a dose’ injector from 0.2 mL to 2 mL in 0.2 mL increments. New improved needle hub. $35.00 + GST ORDER ONLINE
	Vetmec 5mL Injector Accurate and durable ‘Dial a dose’ injector from 0.5 mL to 5 mL in 0.5 mL increments. New improved needle hub. $35.00 + GST ORDER ONLINE

By Dr Murray Grant

“A few simple rules can help the Cattle producer design an efficient and effective worm prevention strategy in your herd”

What to Drench?

There is no simple answer to the question of what cattle on the place require treatment for worms. My advice will vary from operation to operation depending on a number of factors:

1. climate,
2. type of pastures/production system,
3. type / breed of cattle
4. age profile of the herd
5. desired level of risk management
6. stocking rate

A basic rule accepted by most animal health advisers is that young cattle, cattle under nutritional stress, old cattle and working bulls are prone to developing production limiting (life threatening in some cases) worm burdens.

One thing that I’m certain of is that weaner cattle, in all but the most arid cattle producing areas, will benefit from treatment for worms.

Therefore fairly standard advice is to treat all weaner cattle that are to be retained on the property at least a couple of times through their first year.

Even in the extensively grazed properties in the semi arid zones the benefits of relieving young cattle of sub-clinical worm burdens (where the calves have worms but are showing no obvious outward signs) I believe is very underrated. Anecdotally treated calves haven’t been nearly as badly effected by nutritional stress or 3 day sickness compared with untreated weaner calves in these situations.  I would like to see some good scientific investigation in this area.

Another fairy standard piece of advice for pasture based producers is to treat their 1st calving heifers generally prior to calving or marking time which ever fits in with other management and health procedures the best.

It is also now generally understood that some sort of worm infestation is required for the animal to adequately develop a natural immunity to infestation so a balance does have to be achieved between keeping the animal healthy and productive and “over –drenching”

It is fairly settled amongst advisers that pasture fed cows from their second calf on, do not require drenching for the benefit of their own health as they are quite resistant to worm infestation. This is true as long as they are not under nutritional/trace element stress where the old adage “unhappy host, happy parasite” comes into play. In some instances, in pasture based systems with high stocking rates, there is a case (especially if the producer is risk adverse) for treating this class of stock purely for the purpose of preventing pasture contamination with worm eggs. Remember, that in these systems, stocking rate is still the key to a high gross margin for the enterprise.

There are two classes of stock often overlooked by producers:

Firstly, the old girls in the herd. Many times as a practicing veterinarian I have seen 9-10 year old cows (yes, there are some in every herd) in real trouble due to worm infestation. These old cows loose their resistance to worms and are just as susceptible as young cattle.

Secondly, the working bulls whose immune system will run down over the joining period. (a handy lesson for all those young bucks and buckeroos out there) It is therefore good practice to treat all the bulls prior to the joining period

When to Drench?

Once we have decided which animals in the herd require drenching for worms the next thing to decide is when to drench.

Two general rules help us here:

1. Production loss due to worms must be prevented rather than treated after it has been allowed to occur!! Preventing disease rather than treating it is the key to any health program.
2. Drenching should, when ever possible, fit in with other herd management/health procedures

Following these two rules means that drenching of stock should follow a planned approach (strategic)

In my veterinary practice I had a number of clients who could only work their cattle in the weekends. By combining management and preventative health (including drenching) procedures generally we could show them how they could do all their cattle work in 4-6 weekends.

For example a common program in southern pasture based cow/calf systems is as follows

Programs such as these, and there can be many variants for other production systems such as those up North, prevent worms in the herd ever becoming a problem. They are not based on waiting for the signs of a worm burden to show and then drenching, as by this stage, you will have already suffered significant production and economic loss

The use of worm egg tests (fecal egg counts, FEC) are used by some producers to gauge the time and need for drenching. This is sometimes beneficial in young cattle however the very low egg output of ostertagia, the main cattle worm, is on many occasions very low so, in most cases, the FEC test is a very poor predictor of whether the cattle require drenching or not.

Remember, on the prevention line of things, strategies other than strategic drenching should also be employed. Such as:

1. The most susceptible stock must, if possible, be placed on the least worm contaminated areas. After drenching the weaners or first calvers for instance if they can be placed on an area/paddock that has been grazed by sheep (or adult dry cattle) or cropped then reinfection can be prevented and the time until the next drench lengthened dramatically.
2. Rotational grazing  of susceptible stock especially controlled so that the pasture is not grazed too low to the ground will help prevent worm burdens as the majority of the infective stage worm larvae are in the first 2-3 cm of the sward.
3. Supplementary feeding of 1st calvers early on until the autumn or spring growth really gets going combined with really monitoring ‘after-calving body weight gain/loss’ over this period will not only ensure you get them back in calf quickly  (along with stocking rate the other “must” in a profitable herd) but will help prevent worm burdens being a problem

Which Drench?

The rule to follow here is simple:

‘Use the most effective option at the lowest cost’

Chemvet Australia’s ‘direct to the farmer’ Vetmec range of products are high quality, very effective and low cost.

White Drenches

Whilst the white drench options (eg albendazole, fenbendazole etc) are still available and in many cases are still effective – having to give them orally often rules them out of the equation. The effectiveness of these drenches against ‘arrested’ ostertagia can also be problematic. These drenches (especially concentrated low volume options) are coming back into vogue as resistance fighters when used in combination with a more potent ML drench but that is another story.

’Mectin Drenches

Currently the most effective drenches are the macrocyclic lactones (ML’s) more commonly known as the ’mectin type of drench products. A well as treating worms (internal parasites) they are also effective against external parasites such as lice or ticks. Common products in this class include Ivermectin (eg Ivomec) Moxidectin (eg Cydectin), Doramectin (eg Dectomax) and Abamectin (eg Vetmec)

These products are mostly available in either the injectable or pour-on form.

As a general rule:

1. If worms are the major issue I favor the injectable products.
2. If lice are the major target then I tend to favor pour-on products

Whilst the various different “mectin” products have features that validly differentiate them from the others it is my opinion that at a producer level one could consider them all mostly equal in terms of effectiveness. As long as there is the accompanying customer service, professional backup and advice and prompt delivery the most cost effective in most cases could be considered the best option.

Liver Fluke

A complication to choice of drench is whether liver fluke is present in the herd to a sufficient level to be causing a problem.

My advice regarding liver fluke, is to find out for sure and not just rely on “it looks like ‘flukey’ country I better treat for fluke” as this could be a costly assumption. If you feel fluke may be a problem take some fecal samples from cattle that were grazing the ‘flukey’ area over the early summer to autumn. Have this tested for fluke eggs. Alternatively seek feedback from the abattoirs or check the livers of sheep run over these areas when you kill them for the house or send them to the abattoirs.

If fluke is a problem use a product that includes a flukicide eg clorsulon.

A ’mectin product in combination with clorsulon such as Vetmec F is an ideal product to keep fluke in check on your property. If used at the times suggested in the above programs in the ‘when to drench section’ very effective fluke control will be achieved. There is an old adage: ‘that for effective fluke control drench during the 2 A’s’ ie April and August. Without writing reams on the scientific argument this advice mostly remains true.

Every where I go I seem to see this risqué Advertisement on Bill Boards.

No, Chemvet is not entering this market with a blue wonder pill or nasal spray for men (although Ron reckons we should at least investigate it) but it does send a message that we should all be applying to our current sheep drenches.

It is no secret that incidences of resistance by worms to the Mectin drenches is on the increase. The good news however is that Chemvet’s flag ship drench Vetmec LV is based on Abamectin which is now regarded as the ‘mectin (or ML as this group of drenches is more properly known) of choice for use in sheep and that for the vast majority of out clients Abamectin is still a very effective drench – the trick is how to keep it effective!

I recently attended the Australian and New Zealand Veterinary Associations Pan Pacific Veterinary Conference held in Brisbane. The Cattle and Sheep sections had some world class presenters and day one concentrated on worm control particularly in the face of increasing incidence of worm resistance to our current drenches. I have included some of the stand out messages and what it means to sheep farmers in this newsletter.

Kind regards, Murray Grant

STAYING Effective

One of the interesting concepts presented at the conference was that there are two goals when you use a drench. I

have since found it a very good approach to take when designing drenching programs for producers.

• One goal is to treat the sheep and prevent gastro-intestinal worms from causing disease and production loss.
• The other goal is to use the right drench in such a way as to minimise the development of resistance by worms to this drench.

This can be depicted graphically as follows:

STRATEGY A	STRATEGY B	STRATEGY C

	Effectiveness of the strategy in treating & preventing worms
	Effectiveness of the strategy in preventing resistance to the drench.

Obviously a program based on ‘Strategy C’ would not be suitable for most farmers – this strategy would be to never or very rarely drench and whilst totally minimising the onset of drench resistance won’t treat or prevent worms in your sheep.

On the other hand, a program based on ‘Strategy A’ that fully treats and prevents worms in your sheep but promotes the early onset of resistance to your effective drench is obviously not ideal either. A program fitting this strategy would be to drench every month with the same class of drench for years. The sheep would never get “wormy”, but worm resistance to the drench would develop very quickly.

What we should be aiming at is a program based on ‘Strategy B’ that both treats and prevents worms in your sheep as well as minimising or delaying the onset of resistance for as long as possible.

Standout Messages

The standout messages to come from the presentations at the conference, with the above in mind, are as follows:

• Abamectin is the ‘mectin of choice for sheep producers in the majority of instances.
• Single class, long acting drench injections and capsules could be a recipe for disaster ‘resistance wise’ if used alone without other resistance fighting technique.
• In Australia, environmental pressure on worm populations has probably a greater part to play than frequency of drenching. ie. when we drench has more bearing on the development of resistance than how often we drench. Therefore, avoid unnecessary summer drenching when the pasture is very dry. This can lead to a situation where a fair percentage of the worms that do survive will be the ones resistant to the drench. These will not be killed by the drench and will ‘over summer’ in the sheep’s gut.
• The use of a combination drench (containing 2 -3 effective drenches that belong to different classes of drench will aid massively in the delay or prevention of drench resistance within any particular sheep flock.
• The full time use of a combination drench is far better that rotating between the single drench classes in the combination.
• Refugia - This is a term that we are all to see a lot more over the years to come when discussing sheep drench and worm resistance and plays an extremely important part in the resistance story. In a ‘nut shell’ it is a term that is used to describe making sure that we leave or promote a population of susceptible worm larvae (susceptible to your effective drench) in our paddocks that will act to dilute the number of resistant parasites building up in the flock.
• The importance of other management techniques such as monitoring worm burdens using faecal egg counts (FEC), dual grazing wherever possible with cattle and quarantine drenching with a double dose combination drench.
• Whilst a new drench is on the horizon, new ones after that are not guaranteed and may not happen in our lifetime, therefore all efforts have to be made to look after the ones that we have now.

So what does it all mean?