Farmers may feel that the dry summer we have had this year means they don’t have to worry about liver fluke in their cattle.

However, Callum Blair, veterinary adviser with Merial Animal Health, warns that the parasite is likely to be an ongoing issue.

Figures from the Department of Agriculture on liver condemnations support the fact that the parasite is a continuing threat to the Irish national herd. The figures report the percentage of livers that have been condemned at abattoirs in different ages and types of cattle.

Although the figures do include livers that have been condemned for commercial reasons, the vast majority are condemned as a result of liver fluke infestation.

Figures for the first seven months of 2014 are generally slightly lower than 2013, but still show that in older animals, as many as one in two livers are being condemned and even in younger animals around one in five livers are being condemned.

Callum says: “When you consider that at least one in five cattle could be suffering from fluke infestation, the economic impact is huge. Cattle suffering from fluke have reduced feed intake, take longer to finish and cost farmers money.”

The data from the Irish Department of Agriculture on bovine liver condemnations shows percentages of condemnations for 2013 and the first seven months of 2014. See Table 1 below.