WITH grass growing and cows being turned out, the diseases that come about while they are housed disappear.

These are then replaced with problems seen at grass.

Internal parasites are the biggest problem, particularly for young animals.

I’d recommend any stock keeper to plan parasite treatment with their vet and to use the NADIS website - www.nadis.org This gives a likely prediction of parasite risks based on previous and current weather.

The risk for Nematodirus this year is likely to be average.

However, last year saw a dry spring and the disease appeared later than usual.

The timing of treatment should be discussed with your vet based on local conditions and knowledge of previous years.

Faecal eggs counts are not that useful as disease occurs before the worms lay eggs.

Calves also need planning, especially for lungworm. Although there is an excellent vaccine, this can be more effective given at the second grazing season.