Sheep farmers are being invited to take part in the online 2015 Farming Against Wormer Resistance (FAWR) survey, two years after the initial survey, to help reveal changes in the extent of, and attitudes to, wormer resistance.

The original survey in 2013 – the first of its kind in the UK – was carried out at the start of the FAWR campaign which, initiated by Novartis Animal Health (now Elanco Animal Health) in conjunction with SCOPS and NSA, aimed to discover the reality of how farmers, alongside vets and SQPs, deal with this growing problem on their farms.

Completed by almost 400 farmers across all regions and age ranges the 2013 survey revealed growing concern about wormer resistance – but confusion about the best course of action and the need to test for anthelmintic resistance (AR) status. It also highlighted a lack of awareness of proper practice when quarantining incoming stock, with 32 per cent not drenching and therefore increasing the spread of resistance. By comparing this second survey to the first, Elanco Animal Health, the FAWR organisers, hope to be able to gauge the spread of wormer resistance, and discover if attitudes and worming practices have changed significantly.

“This will help us to see more clearly both the progress already made and where future efforts at improving knowledge and awareness should be concentrated,” said Matt Colston, Farm Animal Technical Consultant Veterinarian for Elanco Animal Health, “The purpose of the FAWR campaign is to encourage farmers to take action now against resistance, before wormer groups fail, to maintain wormer options and ensure productivity into the future,” said Lesley Stubbings (SCOPS representative and Independent Sheep Consultant), a member of the 2013 panel of key sector experts responsible for driving the FAWR campaign forwards.

“Many farmers still feel that worm resistance is someone else’s problem, believing that their wormers’ are working well. In reality, many animals are getting less than fully effective treatment because resistance is building to one or more of the older wormer groups. Worm kill is subsequently falling, affecting lamb growth and significantly reducing incomes,” she continued.

Benzimidazole 1-BZ (white) drench resistance is already common. In a study in England, 100% of sheep farms involved had resistance confirmed1. Resistance to the levamisole 2-LV (yellow) group is present in the UK2 and resistance to the 3-ML (clear) group2 has also been confirmed in a number of studies.

“We are hoping to hear from an even bigger group of farmers, both new and returning respondents,” says Katherine Openshaw, Ruminant Marketing Manager at Elanco Animal Health. “Knowing farmers’ attitudes to resistance, and the strategies and techniques they adopt to tackle the problem, will enable Elanco to work alongside industry partners to meet their needs more accurately, and provide them with the most suitable advice to make the best choices now and in the future.”

The first 50 farmers who complete the survey will win an Optiline drencher. The 2015 FAWR Survey is being conducted on-line and can be completed by visiting www.farmanimalhealth.co.uk