HCC and partners launch £1m project to tackle liver fluke
HCC and partners launch £1m project to tackle liver fluke
Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales is part of a major new £1 million project which aims to address the problems caused by fluke in cattle.
The four year project, which was launched this week, is co-funded by the Biological Biotechnological Science Research Council, HCC, Quality Meat Scotland, Eblex, AgriSearch and DairyCo.
Liver fluke causes severe clinical disease in livestock and can lead to death. It is estimated that liver fluke costs the UK livestock industry millions of pounds in lost production every year.
The project, led by Professor Diana Williams from the University of Liverpool, comprises four academic partners – the University of Liverpool, Moredun Research Institute, Scotland’s Rural College and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.
It will focus on the development and validation of herd level diagnostic tests. These tests can distinguish between liver and rumen fluke and will identify on farm risks including the factors that affect the ways in which cows and snails become infected.
These will be used to define the costs of fluke at herd and national level and the benefits of intervention options which control fluke.
The results will be delivered to the industry in collaboration with the levy bodies.
