Parasite control and Saint Swithin's Day
Abstract
Mid-summer provides a useful check point for assessing the dynamics of parasite populations, their potential impact and the need for control measures. In young cattle, measuring growth rates and faecal egg counts at this time can provide valuable prognostic information on the likely effects of parasitic gastroenteritis over the second half of the grazing season. Faecal sampling can also be used to monitor fluke infections, but may be of less value in assessing the risk of lungworm. Local weather patterns leading up to and including mid-summer can be used in conjunction with sampling and management data to generate an overall picture of the epidemiology and risk of the various protozoal, helminth and arthropod parasites that can affect cattle at grass; these in turn can be used to guide pasture management and treatment options appropriate to individual farms and farmers.
St. Swithin was Archbishop of Winchester, England during the ninth century and his nominal Day falls on July 15th, when, according to local folklore, the weather for the following 40 days is determined: if it rains on St. Swithin's Day, it will rain for 40 days, but if it is fair, the weather will be dry. The background to this piece of homespun wisdom is more religious than meteorological, but nonetheless, it does resonate with several aspects of parasite epidemiology, which are in-part weather-related. Mid-summer is a good time to assess the current status and potential risk/impact of endemic parasites on livestock farms, irrespective of whether strategic approaches to control have been implemented around turnout or not (Forbes, 2019). This article highlights what can be done in the way of parasite monitoring and management on cattle farms at this time of year, when there may be a short interval between busy times spent on activities like silage-making and harvest. It can also mark the approximate half-way point between turnout and housing and thus an important time to assess progress during the grazing season.
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