Farm Animal Welfare

Cattle Fly Control and Welfare Summer

Effective fly control in summer significantly improves cattle welfare by reducing irritation, disease transmission, and stress.

Key Facts

Horn flies cause up to 1 litre of blood loss per cow per day in heavy infestations
Face flies transmit pink eye bacteria causing painful eye infections
Stable flies inflict painful bites causing cattle to bunch and reduce grazing
Pyrethroid pour-ons provide 4-8 weeks of fly control
Ear tags impregnated with insecticide provide season-long fly control

Welfare Considerations

Fly burden in summer causes continuous irritation, pain from biting flies, and secondary disease through fly-transmitted pathogens. Cattle heavily burdened by flies spend time in defensive behaviour rather than grazing and resting, with welfare costs from both reduced nutrition and constant stress. Effective fly control improves cattle welfare by reducing irritation and disease pressure.

What You Can Do

Support fly control requirements in cattle welfare codes for summer housing
Advocate for fly burden assessment as a welfare monitoring tool
Choose cattle products from farms with integrated fly management programmes