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Some 12.7% of cattle presented for slaughter this year showed liver fluke damage.
Out of 150,000 cattle slaughtered to date, a further 2.5% had live liver fluke and 3.3% had liver abscesses.
Health checks
Information collected as part of the Beef HealthCheck programme further showed that 1% of cattle per week had pneumonia.
Programme information also showed that young bulls were more affected by liver fluke and pneumonia than heifers and steers.
The report noted that if animals had been finished in sheds, they may have been “inadequately treated for liver fluke”.
The report also commented that information on liver fluke had been disrupted during the temporary veterinary inspector industrial action over Christmas.
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