Improving the effectiveness of gastrointestinal nematode control for meat-breed lamb production systems on the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales

Abstract

The experiments reported in this thesis were designed to define and improve the effectiveness of ewe and lamb gastrointestinal nematode control in meat-breed production systems in a summer-dominant rainfall region of NSW Australia. The experiments (Chapters 2-7) reported in this thesis were written as a series of publications. The first step in defining the effect of gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) on meat-breed lamb production under grazing conditions is the creation and maintenance of uninfected control groups. Experiments conducted under grazing conditions are challenging with difficulties encountered in maintaining uninfected control groups as GIN-free. One method is to serially treat sheep with a combination of short and long-acting anthelmintics to provide effective and continual GIN-suppression.