Farm Animal Welfare

Cattle Welfare and Fly Control in Pasture

Biting flies cause significant welfare problems for pastured cattle, reducing grazing time, increasing energy expenditure on fly avoidance, and transmitting disease.

Key Facts

Horn flies can number thousands per animal and cause up to 400mL blood loss per day
Cattle under heavy fly pressure spend up to 30% of time in fly-avoidance behaviour
Face flies vector pinkeye pathogens between animals
Integrated pest management reduces reliance on insecticide treatments
Ear tags, pour-ons and back rubbers are common chemical control tools

Welfare Considerations

Fly burden is a persistent and often underappreciated welfare problem in cattle. Effective, humane control programmes protect cattle wellbeing and productive performance.

What You Can Do

Support farms using integrated fly management rather than sole reliance on chemicals
Advocate for welfare scoring that includes ectoparasite burden
Learn about biological fly control options such as parasitic wasps