Quarantine dosing: Marts join in new initiative against worms

A major new campaign to tackle anthelmintic wormer resistance, which is threatening

productivity and profitability in sheep flocks across the UK, was launched by a leading

animal health company in livestock auction marts in August.

The latest Novartis Animal Health initiative will highlight the need for producers to

practice quarantine dosing when they buy sheep, to remove worm burdens before

moving them on to their land.

This is seen as an important way to help slow down the spread of wormer resistance

which is threatening sustainable sheep farming in the UK and is supported by the

authoritative SCOPS (Sustained Control of Parasites in Sheep) group.

In an effort to get this vital message across to as many producers as possible,

Novartis will be sponsoring activities at 30 different venues ranging from Carlisle to

Llandovery from August 6 and running through to October and delivering its

quarantine dosing for sustainable sheep farming message at the same time. 

Its essential that all UK sheep farmers consider quarantine dosing when they

buy sheep and then do something about it before those animals are moved on to

the farm said Novartis vet and product manager Simon Harris. 

It is important to eradicate all the worms, including resistant worms which the

animals may be carrying, before they arrive on, and possible contaminate your farm.

Once quarantine dosed it takes 24-48 hours for any eggs to be passed through the

animal, so dosing them at marts before they are taken to the farm is ideal. If this is

not possible the animals should be dosed immediately on arrival with Zolvix, and

kept on hard standing for 24-48 hours before turnout. 

We will have advisers at the marts taking part in this initiative to explain why

quarantine dosing is so important for the health and welfare of sheep, as well as to

maintain production and slow down the spread of anthelmintic resistance in worms. 

Mr Harris pointed out that the new orange drench Zolvix was the most effective

quarantine drench, because it contained a new active ingredient (monepantel)

which made it effective against all gastro-intestinal roundworms, including those

already resistant to the traditional classes of drench white (benzimidazole or 1-BZ),

yellow (levamisole or 2-LV) and clear (macrocyclic lactone or 3-ML). 

Developed by Novartis and launched in the UK earlier this year, Zolvix is the first of a

novel class of wormers and focuses on a new molecular target found only in gastro-

intestinal nematodes, allowing it to remove resistant worm burdens in the sheep,

and affords it an excellent safety profile, he added. 

There have been 30 livestock auction markets involved in the campaign. The dates

and locations for the remaining are listed below.

Market Details	Dates
	September	October
Carlisle Auction Mart	6th / 16th / 20th
Kirby Stephen		1st
Lazonby		9th
Hawes Auction Mart	27th	4th / 9th
Newtown St. Boswells Auction Market	1st / 2nd
Longtown Auction Market	1st
Hexham & Northern Mart	3rd / 15th / 30th
Middleton in Teesdale	14th / 27th
Ballymena Mart	27th
Ruthin Auction Centre	1st / 11th
Mule sales in Welshpool	8th / 9th	7th
Welsh Myle Sales, Builth Wells	10th	12th
Dolgellau Mart	11th / 17th
Llandovery	14th / 15th
NSA Wales Ram Sale, Builth Wells	20th
Blackmoor Gate	6th / 13th / 20th
Wilton Sheep Fairs	9th	14th
Sedgemoor	16th
Dolphin Sheep Fair	16th
Exeter	17th
CCM Skipton Auction	11th

For further information about Zolvix telephone: 01276 694402