Sheep Farming

Sheep Internal Parasite Resistance and Targeted Selective Treatment

Targeted selective treatment (TST) for sheep intestinal parasites improves welfare by identifying and treating heavily burdened animals while reducing anthelmintic resistance.

Key Facts

Intestinal parasites cause significant weight loss, anaemia, and death in sheep
Blanket dosing of whole flocks accelerates anthelmintic resistance development
FAMACHA scoring of eyelid colour identifies anaemic animals needing treatment
Faecal egg counts identify animals with high worm burdens requiring treatment
TST maintains refugia - untreated animals that dilute resistant worm populations

Welfare Considerations

Parasite burdens cause significant suffering including weight loss, diarrhoea, anaemia, and in severe cases death. TST improves welfare by identifying and treating heavily affected individuals more accurately than calendar-based dosing. Maintaining effective anthelmintics through resistance management also ensures future treatment options remain available.

What You Can Do

Support sheep farming assurance programmes with parasite monitoring requirements
Advocate for veterinary training in TST and FAMACHA as welfare best practice
Choose lamb from farms with documented targeted parasite management programmes