Beef cattle

Deworming Beef Cattle: Sustainable Parasite Control

Protect your herd's growth rates and combat anthelmintic resistance. Discover the SPARC project's field-tested protocols for the cow-calf system and beef production.

The Challenge: Reduced Calf Weight Gain & Resistance

Routine, whole-herd treatments are no longer effective due to the rapid spread of anthelmintic resistance across European beef regions. Even without visible symptoms, subclinical gastrointestinal nematode infections have a devastating economic impact. For first-season grazing calves, parasites cause severely reduced weight gain, longer finishing times, and poor feed conversion efficiency, extending losses throughout the entire productive cycle.

The SPARC Solution: Cow-Calf Deworming Protocols

Precision veterinary medicine means treating the right category, at the right time, and only when truly necessary.

SPARC promotes Integrated Parasite Management (IPM) through specific cow-calf deworming protocols that differentiate by age and vulnerability:

First-Season Calves & Heifers: As the most vulnerable group, they require Targeted Selective Treatment (TST) combined with careful monitoring of weight gain as an indicator of parasite burden.
Adult Cows: Thanks to acquired immunity, adult cows rarely require systematic treatments. We promote a diagnostic-driven approach (like Faecal Egg Counts and Body Condition Scoring).
Smart Pasture Management: Implement pasture rotation, multi-species co-grazing, and the use of “safe pastures” to naturally lower infection risks.