UNE > News and Events > Browse by article > 'Integrated management' of sheep parasites shown to be effective

Next Project helps students think more clearly in maths, science December 5, 2006  

Previous Workshop fosters a global perspective on migration December 1, 2006 

'Integrated management' of sheep parasites shown to be effective

December 04, 2006

ScrivenerKahn.thumb.JPGA nation-wide project that has shown how sheep farmers can reduce the impact of parasites has come to a successful conclusion for its five New England participants.

They had a final meeting in Armidale last week with representatives of the funding body – Australian Wool Innovation Ltd (AWI) – and researchers from The University of New England.

Five New England sheep properties have been working with UNE researchers for the past three years on the integrated use of a range of parasite management procedures. These “demonstration farms” are at Armidale, Uralla, Walcha, Kingstown and Deepwater. There are 23 “demonstration farms” around Australia.

UNE initiated and developed the “Integrated Parasite Management – sheep” (IPM-s) project, which is managed and funded by AWI. UNE’s partners in the project are the University of Melbourne, the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, and the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia.

The project aims to reduce losses to the Australian sheep industry caused by parasites such as worms, lice and blowflies – losses that total around $700 million every year. UNE’s Colin Scrivener, one of the project leaders for northern NSW, said the results demonstrated that a “package” of measures to combat parasites was more effective than a simple reliance on chemical drenching.

Mr Scrivener said this integrated "package" included grazing with other classes of livestock, pasture rotation, regular monitoring, nutritional supplements, and genetic selection – as well as carefully selected chemical treatments.

“IPM-s has shown that, if you integrate them all into a package, with a good knowledge of what each of them does, you can reduce the effect of internal parasites such as barber’s pole worm without increasing costs or suffering production losses,” Mr Scrivener said.

“We’re seeing increasing resistance to current chemicals,” he explained. “This means that some properties could be forced out of sheep. And there are no new chemicals on the horizon. However, even in these cases, we can keep sheep producers in the industry by introducing Integrated Parasite Management.”

Two years ago, a UNE-based survey of thousands of sheep farmers around Australia gathered information about their use of chemicals to control parasites in sheep. Lyndal Thompson, the UNE researcher who conducted that survey, is now convening focus groups of sheep farmers to reveal the reasons behind their decisions about parasite control. “Using that information, we can go on to develop an extension program,” Mr Scrivener said.

“After the conclusion of the current IPM-s program next February, we would like to begin a follow-up program looking at properties in wheat/sheep areas and producers of prime lambs,” he continued. “And to answer some of the questions raised during the current program.”

THE PHOTOGRAPH displayed here shows IPM-s Project Leaders for Northern NSW Colin Scrivener (left) and Dr Lewis Kahn (both from UNE).


Posted by Jim Scanlan at December 4, 2006 04:55 PM