Surprising parasite levels found in West Otago cattle

Recent FECPACK faecal egg count (FEC) testing has uncovered significant hidden parasite burdens in beef cattle in West Otago, despite stock appearing healthy, Techion says.

Testing carried out early May on rising one-year-old cattle identified egg counts exceeding 500 eggs per gram, well above expected thresholds, indicating a level of parasitism that will impact animal performance and contaminate autumn pasture.

The results were revealing and surprised the farm owners.

Techion is currently refining its new Worm ID Test for cattle and ran the samples through the new technology.

FECPAK uses high-resolution imaging to identify the species of parasite present. Results are available within hours of imaging, a significant time saving on traditional larval culture species testing, which usually takes 10 days for results.

Of note was the high representation of Haemonchus on some properties.

One of the farmers also tested their R2 heifers; the results showed these older animals had moderate FEC counts, meaning they will be contributing to additional pasture contamination.

FECPAK was developed by Techion and the company’s founder and managing director Greg Mirams says the findings reflect a perfect storm of seasonal conditions.

“Through summer, we’ve seen sustained moisture and strong pasture growth across the country. Stock have grown strongly because they’ve been well fed, but at the same time, parasites have thrived.

“Longer, lusher pasture has protected larvae from sunlight and without strong UV exposure, parasite survival rates have been high.”

As farms move through autumn, these conditions translate to increased parasite exposure for all young stock grazing on pasture.

Critically, Mirams says the parasite burden is often invisible to farmers.

“The cattle we tested looked to be in great condition.

“However, when the FEC results came back, parasite levels were high enough to significantly impact growth.

“That’s the challenge with cattle, they often don’t show obvious clinical signs of parasites. They just grow slower.”

At the levels observed, Mirams says production losses can be substantial.

“At those egg counts, we know animals can be losing 50–70 per cent of their potential daily weight gain.

“If that’s been happening over a month or so, the direct cost in today’s market can easily be $80 to $100 per head in lost performance and that’s before farmers account for the cost of the extra feed required.”

The uneven performance within a mob can also provide a clue.

“Often farmers will focus on the best animals, but the real question is how even the mob is. You’ll typically find a lighter or tail end of cattle that aren’t performing as well as the rest, and that’s where parasites are often having the biggest impact.”

Mirams says the message for beef farmers is to FEC test early before performance drops.

“By the time you can see a problem, it’s already affecting growth. FEC testing gives farmers a clear, objective measure of parasite burden so they can act early and protect performance and value.”

He also highlights the longer-term impact of failing to identify high parasite burdens.

“When animals are carrying and shedding high egg counts, they are contaminating pasture and contributing to the high pasture parasite larval levels. That has ongoing implications not just for current stock, but for future grazing management.”

Mirams encourages beef farmers to act now and FEC test.

“Conditions mean the parasite challenge is higher than many farmers expect. The best thing farmers can do is undertake FEC testing to understand where they’re at. It’s simple, accessible, and gives the information needed to make the right decisions.”

FECPAK Multi Test Kits are available at Farmlands stores throughout NZ and it’s a simple process for farmers to collect a test kit and send their beef cattle FEC samples to the lab for analysis.