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Farmers Warned to Watch Rising Spore Counts
3rd March 2010

Spore counts throughout the North Island are on the rise, particularly in the Waikato and lower North Island, where levels are extreme.    Farmers are warned that, with the increased spore counts, dairy, sheep and beef stock are at greater risk to facial eczema.

 
“The levels in the Horowhenua region have not been this high since 1999, when hundreds of stock had to be culled due to FE damage,” says Wayne Baxter, AsureQuality FE Monitoring Programme Manager.
 
“Fortunately there is sufficient grass, so most stock are not grazing as low as they were in the 1999 drought conditions. However, lambs will still be at risk as they preferentially graze down lower.“
 
With these extremely high levels, zinc water treatment may not be enough to stop the clinical signs and more importantly, the sub-clinical damage in animals grazing pasture that have high spore counts.
 
More reliable and sustained sources of zinc, such as Time Capsule boluses may be necessary.
 
Before moving stock onto new pasture, spore counting in these danger zones should be carried out. The cost of not having a good FE monitoring and pasture management programme can be significant - through production losses from subclinical disease, and stock deaths due to clinical disease. These costs are likely to be far higher than the cost of preventative measures.
 
AssureQuality has partnered with Gribbles Veterinary, Agri-feeds, RD1, DairyNZ and several vet practices to provide North Island farmers with weekly spore monitoring. Keep up to date with weekly reports at www.asurequality.com and www.RD1.com/sporecounts
 
For further information please contact:
Wayne Baxter
FE Monitoring Programme Manager, AsureQuality      
021 529 506
baxterw@asurequality.com

 

Zinc Oxide Most Reliable Preventative for Facial Eczema
20th January 2010

 

Prevention using zinc oxide is the best plan of attack on facial eczema according to Agri-feeds Technical Manager,Andrew Oakley.

Oakley says preventing animals getting facial eczema depends on reducing the intake of toxic pastures, or on regularly dosing of animals with zinc oxide - a proven method of reducing the effects of the toxin, sporidesmin.

“Trials have consistently shown zinc oxide to be highly effective at absorbing the sporidesmin toxin thus preventing its effects in ruminant animals.

“Using any other form of zinc could be high risk as it may not always be soluble or available in the rumen for mopping up the toxins,” he said.

Oakley explains that while fungicides are an alternative to controlling the development of spores in pasture, the active ingredient Carbendazim only prevents the germination of spores, it does not kill the fungal colonies that

produce the spores.

“Carbendazim also kills off beneficial fungal life in pastures thus affecting the chemical composition and quality of the pasture, as well as significantly reducing the soil worm population.

“Worms are very important to healthy pasture and reducing facial eczema spores as they remove the dead material from the base of the pasture sward, the very material pithomyces chartarum spores grow on,” he said.

Adding zinc sulphate directly to the water trough is risky.

Oakley warns there will be large variations in the concentration of zinc in the water throughout the day, especially on wet days, and therefore in the doses received by individual animals.

He says it’s essential that animals get the correct daily dose relative to their live-weight, to avoid any risk of zinc toxicity from overdosing.

“The Time Capsule is a bolus that releases an even dose of zinc oxide over a four to five week period for cows and six week for sheep.

“Over 15 years Time Capsule has consistently proven to minimise or eliminate the devastating effects of facial eczema.

“It is proven controlled release technology farmers can rely on, determined by AgResearch safety and dose trials,” said Oakley.

The Time Capsule is available from rural resellers and vets.

 

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