Liver fluke infection is still on the rise in British cattle, according to the latest figures released by the Food Standards Agency.
While the total percentage of cattle sent for slaughter in 2011 with livers that showed confirmed signs of liver fluke infection has only risen by half a percent - 22.2% compared to 21.7% in 2010 - the figures are part of a continuing upward trend.
In 2009, 20.9% of cattle in Britain had fluke-affected livers.
Breaking down those figures, Wales remained at 27.71% of livers showing signs of infection having risen from 25.42% between 2009 and 2010.
Figures for England and Scotland showed small increases: Scotland was 28.41%, up from 27.05% in 2010 and 26.85% in 2009 and England was 19.74%, up from 19.38% in 2010 and up nearly 2 percentage points from 17.97% in 2009.
"While Scotland and Wales have reported more than one in four cattle having livers affected by fluke for the past two years, figures for England have also increased, such that across Britain we seem to be heading towards one in four cattle having fluke-affected livers" says Merial Animal Health’s Veterinary Adviser Fiona MacGillivray.
Figures from the Veterinary Investigation Diagnosis Analysis (GB) database also show an upward trend in confirmed cases of liver fluke in cattle, with figures nearly tripling since 2001.
Furthermore we have just had the wettest April on record and with wet weather ideal for liver fluke the situation could be set to get worse.
Although livers affected by fluke has implications for the meat industry as a whole, many farmers don’t realise that liver fluke disease is costing them money.
In cattle liver fluke disease is often sub-clinical, so cattle do not show overt signs of infection.
However, trials demonstrate that even mild fluke infections can reduce the growth rate of cattle by 9% and feed intake by as much as 11% when compared with cattle that have been treated against fluke3.
"Any reduction in growth rate adds days to finishing time and that costs farmers,’ says Fiona, "Indeed, last year EBLEX calculated that every case of liver fluke was costing producers between ’25 and ’30 per head."
A treatment for fluke at grass 8 - 10 weeks after turnout will help improve the growth rates of cattle from grass, by removing fluke infection.
A treatment at this time will also reduce pasture contamination from fluke eggs and subsequent risk of disease in animals later in the year.
