Blowfly Strike – Could You Save Money By Switching To Dipping For Blowfly Control?
With blowfly season fast approaching, Bimeda are encouraging farmers to consider plunge dipping as an effective and cost-effective means of preventing and treating blowfly strike this summer.
Plunge dipping with an OP dip is also an effective means of preventing and treating scab, lice, ticks and keds, making it a great choice for farmers who require broad spectrum parasite control.
Bimeda marketing manager, Mary van Dijk, noted, 'use of OP dip is well established for the control of ecto-parasites such as scab and lice in autumn, but many farmers are unaware of the fact that it is also licensed for the prevention and treatment of blowfly. What's more, dipping is extremely cost effective, and we would encourage farmers to speak to their local animal health supplier, to understand whether they could make a considerable cost saving, by switching to dipping for blowfly prevention and treatment. Like any business, sheep farmers will no doubt be keen to understand any opportunities to improve their profit margins, without compromising on quality, and a switch to dipping could potentially offer such an opportunity. It will be important for farmers to speak to their local SQPs and vets, to understand what measures to ensure disease control, animal welfare and profitability are most appropriate for their farm.
The below table shows the active ingredients licensed for the treatment and/or prevention of blowfly strike in the UK. The broad spectrum cover offered by diazinon dip make it an excellent choice for the treatment and prevention of blowfly, and numerous other parasites. OP dip has a short, 49 day, meat withdrawal, which is an additional benefit.
| Active | Parasites controlled | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blowfly Prevention | Blowfly Treatment | Ticks | Lice | Keds | Sheep Scab | Headflies | |
| Cypermethrin | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✕ | ✕ | ✔ |
| Alphacypermethrin | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✕ | ✕ | ✔ |
| Dicyclanil | ✔ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Diazinon (dip) | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✕ |
| Deltamethrin | ✕ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✕ | ✕ |
Data sheets for all products are available on the VMD website. Please consult them for the duration of action and additional information on the parasites controlled.
For farmers who cannot, or prefer not to dip themselves, the services of a mobile plunge dipper are a cost effective and convenient choice. Information on some mobile plunge dippers can be found on sheepdippers.co.uk.
Use medicines responsibly. Noah.co.uk/responsible.
This item is brought to you by Bimeda; manufacturer of Gold Fleece OP Dip.
Date Editorial Prepared: April 2018
Gold Fleece (60.8% Diazinon) is a POM-VPS medicine.
Consult your vet or SQP before using any medicines for ectoparasite control