In March, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue, T.D., launched a Parasite Control Strategy for Cattle and Sheep Farmers within the existing Targeted Advisory Service for Animal Health (TASAH) under the RDP 2014-2022 to support farmers in their response to the anti-parasitic challenge.
Anti-parasitic resistance is a major challenge to the health of animals and can have a negative impact on the profitability of farms. Anti-parasitic resistance is where a parasite may have built up a resistance to a dose of a targeted drug that would be expected to kill them, ultimately having no effect on the parasite. Parasites that have become resistant to dosing regimens include gut worms and or liver fluke which affect livestock.
Analysis published by Teagasc in 2020, found worrying levels of resistance to anti-parasitic medicines on the farms in the study.
TASAH programme will specifically focus on prudent use of parasite controls at farm level with the assistance of trained veterinarians to provide advice on effective levels within the herd/flock.
TASAH programme funding will provide for a farm visit and veterinary consultation to advise on parasite control, free of charge to the farmer, and is to include faecal egg sampling and interpretation.
This programme will run until 31st December 2022 and farmers can apply here.
Further Information here.
