Abstract

Anthelmintic (drench) resistance in New Zealand’s ruminant livestock is arguably the biggest single threat to sustainable future pastoral production. Clinical and sub-clinical parasitism impacts not only on animal health, but on animal welfare, and hence the image of pastoral production systems, total production and production efficiency and has a marked impact on the economic bottom line for both farmers and the country as a whole. In 2001 it was estimated for the relatively small NZ deer industry alone (worth $311 million in export earnings) that parasitism cost $12.8 million per annum in production losses due to parasitism and parasite control (Mackintosh and Wilson, 2002).

AP, Rhodes, DM Leathwick, WE Pomroy, DM West, R Jackson, K Lawrence, J Moffat, and TS Waghorn

Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production, Volume 66, Napier, 14-19, 2006