Liver fluke in sheep - a growing threat

Liver fluke, or Fasciola hepatica, is a flatworm parasite that infects the livers of cattle and sheep as well as other grazing animals such as deer. Fasciolosis is the disease caused by liver fluke infestation and has a serious financial impact on livestock production: it is estimated that each case of liver fluke costs the farmer £25-£30 (€34-€42) per sheep1 and £6 per lamb1. Farmers can lose:

Economic impact of liver fluke

Liver fluke can increasingly be found throughout the UK, due to favourable weather conditions such as warmer temperatures and increased rainfall in autumn and winter, and due to both infected animals moving around the country and infected snails moving through flooded areas. The level of risk to animals is entirely dependent on the number of infectious cysts present on pasture when animals are grazing, which is dependent on how the weather impacts on mud snail habitats and life cycle.

Combinex for Sheep for worms and fluke control

Combinex™

Combination sheep wormer and flukicide killing all 3 stages of fluke down to 2 days.

Don't leave liver fluke to chance in dairy cows

Treating liver fluke

How to treat the different stages of liver fluke in sheep.

Sheep at risk of parasites including worms

Could it be worms?

Find out more about managing worms in sheep.

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1. EBLEX 2013, Economic Impact of Health and Welfare Issues in Beef, Cattle and Sheep in England.
2. NADIS bulletin: liver fluke in sheep 
3. Sykes AR, Coop, RL, Rushton B (1980) Chronic subclinical fascioliasis in sheep: effects on food intake, food utilisation and blood constituents. Research in Veterinary Science Vol 28 No 1 pp 63-70.