Optimising liver fluke management in cattle

Summary

Liver fluke infection is widespread in cattle and sheep across high rainfall areas (>600 mm) of south-eastern Australia and other irrigated areas. Due to the lifecycle of liver fluke and its reliance on a snail to complete the lifecycle, eradication is impossible. Therefore, control and prevention of disease through grazing management and strategic flukicide use are important. However, the reliance on the anthelmintic triclabendazole, and the increasing resistance to this chemical is of concern.

This producer demonstration site (PDS) aims to demonstrate the use pf diagnostic tools (fluke egg counts and feedback data from Livestock Data Link) to improve the management of liver fluke in cattle to increase in production and economic returns.  

Objectives

By September 2025, in northeast Victoria and southeast New South Wales:  

1. Estimate the prevalence of liver fluke in beef cattle by conducting fluke egg counts on faeces collected from cattle on three to five core and 30 observer producer farms  

2. Determine the prevalence of liver fluke drench resistance to triclabendazole by fluke faecal egg counts on core producer properties and/or on observer producer properties where fluke has been identified through the prevalence survey  

3. Using focus groups with core and observer producers, record their current protocol for controlling liver fluke in cattle, including use of drench, monitoring and environmental control (eg. fencing off ‘flukey’ areas)  

4. Set up three different treatment/monitoring protocols for the control of liver fluke in cattle on three to five core farms with known liver fluke, and demonstrate the effects on:  

   • Weight gain in young stock - show any increase in growth rate in the 6-month period following treatment   

   • Fluke faecal egg counts (used to monitor infection), and  

   • Livestock Data Link for abattoir feedback (used to monitor infection).  

5. 100% of core producers and 50% of observer producers will have increased their knowledge and confidence in managing liver fluke  

6. Seventy-five percent of core producers and 50 percent of the observer producers will intend to adopt/or change their current management with revised treatment, monitoring and control protocols in their area  

7. Conduct a workshop with the core and observer producers to discuss the results of the prevalence survey and drench resistance results.   

8. Conduct an end of PDS field day to showcase the treatment, monitoring and control protocol demonstration results to 50 producers in north-east Victoria and south-east NSW.  

Progress

The Producer Demonstration Site Project “Optimising Liver Fluke Management in Cattle” commenced in May 2022 in south eastern NSW and north eastern Victoria. It is coordinated by Leah Tyrell from the Mackinnon Project, University of Melbourne. The second year of the treatment comparison trials were set up at weaning in April/May on three demonstration sites, and completed in October. Due to triclabendazole not being effective on two of the three farms in 2023, nitroxynil/clorsulon was used on the three farms this year. On all three farms, nitroxynil/clorsulon was 100% effective. The three different groups that were being compared on each farm in 2024 included: Group 1: Farmer’s normal management of fluke (Farm A – No treatment: Farm B – Nitroxynil/clorsulon in mid-April; Farm C – Nitroxynil/clorsulon/ivermectin in early-May. Group 2: Late autumn treatment (May). Group 3: Mid-winter treatment (July). The effect of different treatment protocols on weight gain and fluke egg counts at the end of the trial period are currently being analysed to determine if time of treatment over late autumn/early winter has any effect on Fl.EC and weight gain. Interim results from the second year of the treatment comparison trial were presented to producers from Northeast Vic and Southern NSW at a producer workshop in November. There was lots of interest in the effectiveness of triclabendazole and which product to use if there is resistance present, both in cattle and sheep.