A new parasite control strategy for bovine and ovine farmers has been launched by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) today (March 1).

The programme will provide for farmers to engage the services of specifically trained vets, who will offer advice on specific parasite control measures in their herd or flock for free.

The Parasite Control Strategy (PCS), exists within the Targeted Advisory Service for Animal Health (TASAH), under the 2014-2022 Rural Development Plan, which aims to support farmers in responding to anti-parasitic challenges.

The programme will be delivered by Animal Health Ireland (AHI).

A farm visit and veterinary consultation at no extra cost to the farmer will be provided for under the funding. Within this consultation, farmers will also receive advice relating specifically to faecal egg sampling and interpretation.

The new programme will take a specific focus on developing a structured parasite control plan on the farm and will address the growing challenge of anti-parasitic resistance.

Speaking about this issue Minister McConalogue said:

Farmers who are registered and in receipt of the scheme will receive individual, farm specific, parasite control recommendations following the veterinarian visit and consultation.

From June this year, anti-parasitic medicines may only be supplied on foot of a veterinary prescription. Under the new PCS, where such products are required, the consulting veterinarian can provide a prescription at that time.

Minister McConalogue said the new measure will assist in reducing the frequency of treatments alongside identifying non-effective treatments.

He also stated that it will be conducive to a better health plan overall, by increasing capacity for monitoring.

"This will be a farmer-friendly initiative that will help drive improvements at animal health level as well as farm profitability," he concluded.