Thursday, 29 November 2018 09:41

Genetics an answer to better FE tolerance

Written by 
Genetic tolerance offers the best protection against FE. Genetic tolerance offers the best protection against FE.

Facial eczema (FE) is a seasonal scourge, but genetic selection can help minimise the impact of this production-limiting disease in sheep.

Caused by the spores of the fungus Pithomyces chartarum (which grows on litter at the base of pasture) FE affects more than just an animal’s face. The spores 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 everywhere, but when temperature and moisture levels are high the fungus grows rapidly, releasing huge numbers of toxic spores.

For every animal with clinical signs of FE – which are obvious skin lesions – there will be many more with sub-clinical disease. This includes the invisible ongoing liver damage that can cause major productivity losses, especially at mating, lambing and calving.

Genetic tolerance offers the best protection against the disease and many breeders have been testing rams for many years now.

When selecting rams, commercial farmers (who want to include FE tolerance in their trait selection) should ask their breeder how long he or she has been testing rams, the level they are testing at, the number of rams they test every year and ask to see the Ramguard certificates.

Ramguard is the AgResearch-managed organisation that carries out the FE tolerance testing.

Breeders serious about breeding for FE tolerance should be testing at least 10% of their sale rams every year and only using tested rams in their stud.

King Country farmer Russell Proffit is a Perendale breeder and chair of FE Gold. This represents ram breeders who have been tolerance testing for FE for many years. The group is now testing at the highest possible dose rate of 0.6mg/kg (this is where the animal is dosed with the toxin and blood tests assessing liver damage measure how tolerant the ram is to the FE causing toxin).

Proffit says that it can take 20 years to breed to a high degree of FE tolerance. Breeders start at zero and gradually build up to an optimum dose rate of 0.6 – which is where the leading FE tolerant Romney and Coopworth breeders are.

While it takes decades for stud breeders to breed FE tolerance into their flocks, commercial farmers can get there a lot faster by selecting rams from these breeders.

Proffit believes it is important to ask the correct questions when buying genetics. He says commercial farmers should be cautious about buying rams from clearing sales where the claim has been made that they are FE tolerant.

To find a list of breeders that are selecting for FE tolerance, look up the Sheep Improvement Ltd (SIL) website to see the up-to-date Ramguard list: https://www.sil.co.nz/tools/flocks-focussed-on-health-traits#drop4 

More like this

FE spore counts climb

As New Zealand swelters in record hot and humid conditions, dairy farmers need to be more vigilant than usual against facial eczema (FE) as spore counts start to climb.

Beware - FE is here!

A disease that costs the primary industry more than $200 million a year is potentially coming to a place near you soon.

Plan now as El Nino summer lifts facial eczema risk

The anticipated El Niño summer is expected to heighten the risk of facial eczema (FE) and SealesWinslow consultant Nutritionist Paul Sharp says getting a preventative plan ready now will help protect animal health and bottom lines.

Disease on the move

Facial Eczema (FE) is a production-limiting, potentially fatal disease that affects both sheep and cattle.

Featured

Sheep drench resistance costly

Analysis by Dunedin-based Techion New Zealand shows the cost of undetected drench resistance in sheep has exploded to an estimated $98 million a year.

Dairy sheep and goat turmoil

Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand for their products.

Hurry up and slow down!

OPINION: We have good friends from way back who had lived in one of our major cities for many years.

National

Knowing bugs means fewer drugs

A mastitis management company claims to deliver the fastest and most accurate mastitis testing available at scale for New Zealand…

Machinery & Products

AGTEK and ARGO part ways

After 12 years of representing the Landini and McCormick brands in New Zealand, Bay of Plenty-based AGTEK and the brands’…

100 years of Farmall Tractors

Returning after an enforced break, the Wheat and Wheels Rally will take place on the Lauriston -Barhill Road, North-East of…

JD unveils its latest beast

John Deere has unveiled its most powerful tractor ever, with the launch of the all new 9RX Series Tractor line-up…

Biggest Quadtrac coming to NZ!

In the biggest announcement that Case IH Australia/New Zealand has made around its tractor range, its biggest tractor is about…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Why?

OPINION: A mate of yours truly wants to know why the beef schedule differential is now more than 45-50 cents…

Fat to cut

OPINION: Your canine crusader understands that MPI were recently in front of the Parliamentary Primary Sector Select Committee for an…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter