Liver fluke is a parasitic disease causing significant welfare harm and production losses in cattle and sheep globally, with complex management challenges.
Liver fluke causes welfare harm through anaemia, liver damage, pain from migrating immature flukes, weight loss, and in acute cases, rapid death. Subclinical fluke burdens also reduce welfare by causing chronic low-grade illness that reduces feed efficiency, immune function, and reproductive performance. The chronic nature of fluke disease means affected animals suffer for months before clinical signs become obvious. Strategic flukicide treatment timed to pasture risk periods, combined with pasture management to reduce mud snail habitat, provides effective welfare protection. Veterinary guidance is essential for choosing the right flukicide class based on fluke lifecycle stage and local resistance patterns.