All in the breeding: Seven times more liver fluke disease in the progeny of some bulls

Teagasc has revealed that certain family lines of cattle are more prone to liver fluke infection than others

Liver fluke incidence in 2019 are highlighted in the map.  File Picture.  

Liver fluke infection was found in 70% of the progeny of some bulls, compared to under 10% for other bulls’ progeny which originated from the same herds.

It was revealed that certain family lines of cattle are more prone to liver fluke infection than others, in research undertaken at Teagasc Moorepark by Dr Alan Twomey, in conjunction with Animal Health Ireland and ICBF.