Dear Friends & Clients
Everyone will be celebrating the major, almost historic, shift upwards in Beef and sheep meat prices over the last few months driven by a buoyant global demand, shortage of stock for slaughter and of course the low Australian dollar.
These prices for all intents and purposes look ‘locked in’ as one can’t envisage the three causes changing over the near to medium term. Favourable weather and feed conditions especially up North will only bring re-stockers into the market in a big way.
In fact, it is hard not to subscribe to the theory that prices will be driven even higher especially if there are good rains in the north this summer. Let’s hope for both of these scenarios!
Other positives include the Trade agreement activity with China as well as the Trans Pacific Trade Pact and if Russian sanctions were relaxed ‘the roof could lift off’. The only risk seems to be the declining prices elsewhere such as in Europe and North and South America.
Mutton and lamb prices are mirroring the beef situation with some industry specific nuances at play but essentially the outlook is just as positive
I suppose the message is keep up all those preventative animal treatments and husbandry procedures because the flocks and herds are going to be more and more valuable.
As an anecdote Ron was on a NSW property the other day where the producer had just received $1864 for a culled barren heifer
Best Wishes,
Murray Grant & the team at Chemvet
Liver Fluke
The old adage that the best time to treat for liver fluke is the two A’s (April and August). Science strongly supports this so Chemvet has responded with some good specials on Vetmec F for the month of August.
SHEEP FACT!
Vetmec Dual
Although it is not listed on the label claim there is good research showing that Albendazole Sulphoxide (one of the active ingredients in Vetmec Dual) has good activity against adult fluke so an added (albeit unclaimed) benefit of treatment with Vetmec Dual will be an antifluke effect in sheep drenched with this product.
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Vetmec Pour-on
Lice generally rear their ugly head over winter – just remember that Vetmec Pour-on is a highly effective lice treatment and at Chemvet’s pricing is generally a cheaper alternative to lice specific backliners. AND YOU GET EFFECTIVE WORM CONTROL as an added bonus when using this product as a lice treatment.
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Levamisole Pour-on
Watch this space. Chemvet will soon be able to offer a Levamisole pouron product at a very reasonable price. This will be great to use alongside Vetmec Injection, Vetmec F, or Vetmec Pour-on in those situations where added killing power is required against Cooperia spp.
This may be an appropriate strategy to use in yearling cattle (10 – 18 Months) where this parasite tends to operate. Note that cattle older than 15 months generally develop a strong immunity against this worm and don’t require any Cooperia specific treatment.
Long acting Moxidectin pre-lambing treatment
These products are now quite popular, although parasitologists are warning against their widespread use due to resistance potentiation. Chemvet is advocating very strongly that sheep treated with these products get a short acting COMBINATION drench towards the end of the claimed period of activity (sometime between marking and weaning) to ensure that these sheep are not harbouring worms resistant to the ML class of drench products – especially the black scour worm.
Some parasitologists are recommending fecal worm egg testing at the 50 day mark post treatment, and if any worm eggs are present drenching immediately with a triple combination drench.
Tag NEWS!
Zee tag NLIS and Zee tag visual tags are applied with the famous ‘No tear Tagger’ . Feedback from our clients is that this is a high quality, easy-to-use and safe applicator. Chemvet is still able to offer a FREE no tear tagger with every FIRST order of over 50 Zee Tag NLIS or Zee Tag Visual tags.
Note this is only available to your first order of these type of tags.
Special note to Victorian producers buying their NLIS Tags from the heavily subsidised Government NLIS scheme. If you nominate the AgriID (Datamars) brand then think about giving us a ring for your Visual tags if you require them
Chemvet can organise for you to have your visual tags synchronised at no extra charge to your visual tag cost. We can synchronise both the Datamars AgriID or Zee Tags whichever you wished to go with. We can also give you the special deal shown above if you elected to use Zee Tag Visual Tags.
Handy Hint!
A good way of remembering when to dose your dogs for worms and especially the deadly (to humans) hydatids tapeworm is to simply make it a rule that you treat them at every change in season. That is the start of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. No need to record on calendars etc – just dose them at these times and relax in the knowledge that they are being treated frequently enough to guarantee good internal parasite control.
Geelong Production Facility
As highlighted in previous newsletters Chemvet has moved the manufacture of its non sterile products to a production facility in Geeleng.
Several batches of each of the products have now been produced out of this facility and we are very pleased with the results. The fact that the manufacture of these high quality products are providing economic activity to a regional area is also especially pleasing to Chemvet.
Ron ‘brings home the bacon’
Ron loves his squash and is generally hard to find late on a Tuesday as he is heading off to his local squash competition in Geelong. He had a big night the other night going on as the last player needing to win the rubber to clinch the Grand Final for his team
He lost the first two games but like Lazarus game back from the dead to even at two games all. Down 12 – 14 in the last and his opponent called long meaning the game went to first to 17. You guessed it – Ronny ‘brought home the bacon’ with an inspiring 17-16 victory to clinch the Granny for his team. Big smile in the office the next day.
Expanding Families
Murray’s son Alastair and his wife Elysia had a baby girl Francesca (Frankie) in March this year – making Murray a first time & very proud grandfather…Ron isn’t far behind with his first due later this year!
Diana still ‘smoke free’
Last month Diana celebrated her 2nd year of being smoke free. Well done Diana!