It is administered as a single oral dose for use during the dry period in dairy cows to treat adult, immature and early immature fluke.

This will come as excellent news for some dairy farmers who have serious liver fluke issues and are struggling to treat the problem. Dairy farmers will know since January 2010 most of the fluke treatments in southern Ireland were taken off the market by the Irish Medicines Board (IMB) because products did not have a maximum residue limit (MRL).

Hence, the manufacturers could not guarantee that, if used, traces of the fluke products were not subsequently going to be found in milk and dairy products.

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Since this judgement by the IMB, Novartis have completed trials and established an MRL of 10 parts per billion for Fasinex 240 since March 2012. Bob Cody, Novartis technical director, originally from near Mullinahone in south Tipperary but now based in Basel, Switzerland, explained the protocol Novartis had to undertake.

Australian dairy cows were treated for fluke at different intervals with measurements taken post calving to establish residue limits.

The end result is that cows must be treated with Fasinex 240 at least 35 days before calving and milk must be withheld from calved cows for at least 48 hours (two days).

In general, dairy farmers do not supply milk from calved cows for at least two or three days anyway as it is mostly stored as biestings for calves. It is essential for both farmers and vets to note that Fasinex 240 is the only flukicide product licensed for use in dairy cows and is only licensed for use during the dry period.

Availability

Eugene Smith from Novartis explained that they only received written confirmation two weeks ago that they were successful in obtaining the MRL so now full scale production can start.

A production and marketing plan has been initiated and Eugene said: “We hope to have product manufactured and available to Irish dairy farmers by the end of October 2012.” The recommended dose rate is 5ml of product per 100kg bodyweight.Sources within the trade suggest the retail price when it becomes available will likely to be in the range of €2.70 to €3.30 per dose for a 600kg cow.

Last year, dairy farmers only had the option of using Albendazole-based products such as Albex and Endospec, or the Oxyclozinide-based product Zanil, which also treats stomach or rumen fluke.

Both these products are only licensed to cure mature adult liver fluke so a two dose strategy was necessary, usually administered when housed at drying off and again at calving. The newly launched Fasinex 240 kills all three stages of fluke – early, immature and adult fluke – so a one dose strategy is possible.

At the launch, Riona Sayers said farms in the west of Ireland are three times more likely to have a fluke infestation than farms in the rest of Ireland.

However, she also said some dairy farmers who have a dry farm think they are not predisposed to fluke problems but research has proven even dry farms can have serious fluke infestations so there are no guarantees against liver fluke on dry farms.

Meath-based vet Frank O’Sullivan demonstrated at the launch the devastating effects liver fluke can have on the liver. He suggested that one commonsense approach is that information on the condition of the liver from all animals slaughtered at abattoirs in Ireland should be sent back to the farmer.

He said: “It is the best, most direct measure of what is happening on the farm and the condition of the liver should be graded and the information sent to the farmer.”

He also explained that bulk milk samples can also be useful, as well as dung sampling, to determine if fluke treatment is necessary.

Riona Sayers also suggested that bulk milk sampling is a very useful tool to monitor fluke and can allow a dairy farmer build a picture for fluke infestation over a year rather than using one sample taken at a certain time.

She said dung sampling can also be used but false negative results can be obtained as adult liver fluke don’t shed eggs all of the time.

Prime Health Vets seminar

Prime Health vets held a seminar in Corrin Mart near Fermoy last Thursday night. Prime Health vets are a group of 10 vets that have come together to share knowledge, expertise and resources to help their farmer clients. Each veterinary practice will continue to operate as independent businesses but the Prime Health vet group structure will provide a platform for seminars, training days etc. Prime Health vets have already acted as a purchasing group for a number of years.

At the seminar, Riona Sayers provided seasonal tips on disease prevention and stock management. Dr Patrick Wall explained that a holistic approach to herd health in line with industry standards is an absolute necessity and Joe O’Flaherty, CEO of Animal Health Ireland (AHI), explained the role AHI has controlling BVD and Somatic Cell Count in Ireland.

Riona Sayers’ top seasonal tips were:

Have a plan for your herd

Whole herd nutrition – Body condition scoring and quality feed essential

Parasite control – necessary

Lameness management essential

Diagnostic plan – for all problems

Vaccination plan for all stock

Biosecurity essential

Mastitis – dry cow tubes

Records – good records mean better decision making

Time management – list your jobs and who is responsible