Sheep worm resistance research proves selective breeding beneficial
Australian scientists working at CSIRO, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, have discovered that selective sheep breeding for worm resistance is economically viable.
Amy Bell, project co-ordinator, discovered that sheep with worm resistant genetics did not require drenching but remained as healthy and productive as sheep drenched six to eight times in the same period. “The research shows that by reducing reliance on worming medicines and allowing a mix of control strategies, it is possible, and indeed practical, to provide sheep producers with sustainable options for worm control,” she said. Apart from time, selective breeding is to save farmers money otherwise spent on the purchase of chemicals used in drenching.
As early as the 1930s, research had demonstrated that sheep had different levels of resistance to internal parasites. Those with greater resistance show fewer worm larvae in their gut and reject adult worms and egg output more easily.
