October sees increase in bovine liver condemnation rates

14 November 2011 – With 2011 likely to see a return to levels of liver fluke last seen in 2008 / 2009, bovine liver condemnation rates of animals presented at abattoirs operated by leading meat suppliers Dunbia averaged at 26.45% for the month of October.

Dunbia, which is working with Novartis Animal Health to monitor condemnation rates, said the highest daily figure recorded so far was on the 27th October when 49.7% of livers from 211 cattle presented to its Preston site were condemned.

Novartis Veterinary Advisor Saul Harvey said the high condemnation rate of livers, from a total of 3,568 animals slaughtered, was indicative of a wider problem with the national herd.

“October’s figures show a slight increase on the previous month which was already fairly high. Although it is early days, we are starting to build a picture of how liver fluke is affecting livestock in the UK. Looking at these figures for condemnation you could say the financial and welfare implications are quite significant,” he said.

“Education has got to play a key role in addressing the issue of fluke. Where high incidence of condemnation is found, we would be encouraging farmers to look at their animal health plans to ensure that adequate monitoring and protection is in place,” said Mr Harvey.

“Farmers must test their animals at the appropriate time, either with ELISA tests on milk or blood, or FEC tests. If fluke is detected, steps should be taken to treat at adult, immature and early immature stages. Novartis produces its Fasinex range which has products to deal with fluke in all stages of its development,” he said.

Nick Davies, Group Agricultural Development Manager for Dunbia, said: “We started compiling these figures so we could assess the financial loss at farm level. Put simply, a condemned liver goes for dog food at 20p a kilo, whereas for human consumption it is 92p a kilo. That doesn’t of course take into account the health and welfare issues and other financial losses to the farmer caused by fluke.”

“These figures from Preston reflect a nationwide picture when compared to the number of condemned livers from animals presented to our other sites throughout the UK.”

“We are planning to take this a step further by going out, in partnership with Novartis Animal Health, and holding meetings and farm demonstrations at strategic locations around the country.

“This high quantity of condemned livers obviously affects our business, but we also want to take a responsible stance and look at how productivity and welfare issues are affecting the industry as a whole.

“The bottom line is that it’s about making sure we are all sustainable. If you have an animal that isn’t thriving, isn’t thrifty, then you need to do something. A healthy herd will benefit everyone in the long run,” he said.

ENDS

For further information, please contact:

Novartis UK Press Office   +44 (0) 1276 698691

Simon Harris                                        Henry Creagh                                                                              

Farm Animal Product Manager              Kendalls Communications

+44 (0)1276 694437                              01394 610022

simon.harris@novartis.com                 henry.creagh@kendallscom.co.uk

About Novartis Animal Health

Novartis Animal Health researches, develops and commercializes leading animal treatments that meet the needs of pet owners, farmers and veterinarians. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland and present in nearly 40 countries, Novartis Animal Health employs approximately 2,700 people worldwide. For more information, please visit www.ah.novartis.com

About Novartis

Novartis provides healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Focused solely on healthcare, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, eye care, cost-saving generic pharmaceuticals, consumer health products, preventive vaccines and diagnostic tools. Novartis is the only company with leading positions in these areas. In 2010, the Group’s continuing operations achieved net sales of USD 50.6 billion, while approximately USD 9.1 billion (USD 8.1 billion excluding impairment and amortization charges) was invested in R&D throughout the Group. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis Group companies employ approximately 121,000 full-time-equivalent associates and operate in more than 140 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com.

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