Helminth control as a part of Animal Welfare Measure protocol in grazing cattle in Slovenia

Podpečan, Ožbalt (author), Hajdinjak, Melita (author), Posedi, Janez (author)

The national regulation on animal welfare measure under the Rural Development Programme 2014–2022 identified grazing and helminth control as important measures to improve the welfare of cattle in Slovenia. The aim of the study was to evaluate these measures in terms of improving animal welfare and helminth control. Compositional fecal samples for coprological analysis were collected in the region of central Slovenia. Samples were qualitatively analysed for the presence of endoparasites using the flotation and sedimentation methods. During a seven-year period, 4480 compositional fecal samples were collected from cattle herds in the central Slovenia. In all seven years, the most prevalent helminths at the cattle herd level were Strongylida (ranging from 45.49% to 74.22%) and Paramphistomum sp. (ranging from 21.12% to 28.46%). After the treatments against helminths in grazing cattle, the prevalence of positive herds decreased from 83.63% to 63.64%. The calculated cross-correlation values showed significant positive association of the percentage of helminth-positive cattle herds with the prevalence of Fasciola hepatica (0.975), Nematodirus sp. (0.859), Strongylida (0.986), Strongyloides sp. (0.879) and Trichuris sp. (0.835). Hence, the efficient helminth control and improved animal welfare, as well as financial support of 53.40 EUR per livestock unit, contributed to a positive outcome of the programme.

• Language: English
• Keywords: cattle, helminth control, animal welfare
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: VF - Veterinary Faculty; FE - Faculty of Electrical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2023
• Number of pages: 11 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 13, iss. 5, [article no.] 1038
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-145753
• UDC: 636.09
• ISSN on article: 2077-0472
• DOI: 0.3390/agriculture13051038
• COBISS.SI-ID: 151635203
• Publication date in RUL: 11.05.2023

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Agriculture
• Shortened title: Agriculture
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2077-0472
• COBISS.SI-ID: 523634201

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 11.05.2023

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P2-0250
• Name: Metrologija in biometrični sistemi

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P4-0053
• Name: Endokrini, imunski in encimski odzivi pri zdravih in bolnih živalih