Farming diary

The end of the year is a common time for sheep and cattle to be treated for liver-fluke. As the parasite multiplies several hundred times in mud-snails, it is the survival of the snail that determines how high the risk of infection is to livestock. That survival is closely linked to our weather, especially rainfall. The dry September should have reduced the muddy areas that the snail needs, but the wet October has probably reversed that effect. In addition, the temperatures have been higher than usual, so I suspect that there will be plenty of infectious cysts sitting on the pasture, waiting to be eaten by livestock. It is the immature stages of the fluke that, in migrating through the liver, can cause severe damage and often death and it is unfortunate that the immature stages are the hardest to treat. With widespread resistance to one of the commonest medicines we use, it is sensible to discuss treatments carefully with your vet. As bad as liver fluke is in the UK, we are perhaps fortunate not to have the giant fluke, Fasciola magna found in American deer and, remarkably, used to be eaten, deep fried, as a delicacy!