Throughout summer, Beef + Lamb New Zealand will be alerting farmers to changes in regional Facial Eczema spore counts through weekly published graphs and a free text message service.
Facial Eczema spore counts support farmer decision making
Throughout summer, Beef + Lamb New Zealand will be alerting farmers to changes in regional Facial Eczema spore counts through weekly published graphs and a free text message service.
While B+LNZ has been publishing regional spore count graphs in its weekly e.Diaries for some years, the organisation launched its Facial Eczema (FE) text message service last year.
Both tools help farmers make fast and informed management decisions in response to changes in FE spore counts.
As well as providing the latest spore counts, the text service includes management tips and links to more information about the disease. In addition, farmers can send in their questions and B+LNZ will ask experts for an answer.
FE, which is caused by the spores of the fungus Pithomyces chartarum, costs the country many millions of dollars every year in lost production as well as having serious animal welfare implications.
The faster farmers can respond to changes in spore counts, the better the outcomes will be in terms of production and animal welfare.
The spores, which sit in the base of pastures, release a toxin which can damage the liver and bile ducts. In some cases, the bile ducts may become partly or completely blocked. The liver damage results in photosensitivity and sunburn which are the clinical signs of the disease.
The fungus is ubiquitous, but when temperature and moisture levels are high, the fungus grows rapidly, releasing huge numbers of toxic spores.
When spore counts are rising, farmers are encouraged to keep a close eye on stock and look for signs of discomfort, photosensitivity and skin lesions.
For every animal with clinical signs of FE – which are obvious skin lesions – there will likely be many more with sub-clinical disease, which is the invisible on-going liver damage that can cause major productivity losses, especially at mating, lambing and calving.
As with all B+LNZ text services, the FE text service is free and farmers can opt out at any time.
To sign-up create an account by going to https://beeflambnz.com/user/login and subscribe or by phoning 0800 BEEFLAMB or email enquiries@beeflambnz.com