On the Hoof: Liver Fluke Risk in 2023

This bitesize podcast is part of the "On the Hoof" series from our Veterinary Services division.

Alison Braddock, Marketing and Business Development Manager speaks with Heather Stevenson Veterinary Investigation Officer (VIO) Dumfries about liver fluke risk in 2023.

As we approach what would have traditionally been peak liver fluke season (autumn-winter), 2023 has been a very strange year weather-wise.

We had a very dry cold spring, a very hot early summer, an extremely wet July-August and, most recently, a heatwave accompanied by heavy rain.

This will inevitably impact on the life-cycle of the liver fluke, through its mud snail intermediate host, Galba truncatula. This will ultimately dictate the risk of liver fluke this season.

Forecasts are available online at Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep (SCOPS) SCOPS | Sustainable Control  and of Parasites in Sheep and NADIS NADIS - National Animal Disease Information Service