Sustainable Anthelmintic Use

At Tanygraig, a long-standing commitment to data-driven farm management has led to the recording of flock performance from birth. The dataset provides a foundation for informed decision-making, and the natural progression for the farm was to capitalise on the data captured for enhanced parasite management strategies.

Recognising the need to preserve the efficacy of available anthelmintics, Tanygraig is embracing technology by integrating an auto-calibrated dosing gun. This device will connect with the farm's lamb weigher, automatically adjusting the anthelmintic dose according to each lamb's weight, ensuring accurate administration.

Complementing this will be the practical application and benefits of a Targeted Selective Treatment (TST) strategy, combining lamb performance and faecal egg counts (FEC) to determine which lambs require treatment. Our aim is to illustrate how TST can effectively protect drench efficacy while minimising any potential negative impact on lamb performance. Furthermore, a significant objective of this project is to quantify the economic advantages of combining the auto-drencher with a TST strategy. We will calculate the monetary savings achieved compared to the traditional practice of drenching entire mobs of lambs based solely on pooled Faecal Egg Count (FEC) sampling results.

The project will contribute to the Sustainable Land Management outcomes including:

• High animal health and welfare
• Resource efficiency