COMBINATION POUR-ON
FOR CATTLE
AUSTRALIAN FARMERS GET
BETTER RESULTS WITH ECLIPSE
Here are some of their stories
ALL OVER AUSTRALIA, WE GET
BETTER RESULTS WITH ECLIPSE.
ECLIPSE is Australia’s first broad-spectrum combination cattle pour-on.
By combining two powerful actives (abamectin and levamisole) into
one single, convenient (low volume) dose, there’s now a whole new
level of parasite protection for Australian beef producers.
With over 90% of cattle producers relying on single-active ML
drenches, it’s no surprise that resistance to this drench group is being
seen more frequently.1-3
Now beef producers all over Australia are breaking out of the
single-active ML drench cycle, and powering up to the superior
performance of ECLIPSE Combination Pour-On.*
Here are some of their stories.
Marc Ross
Property:
Pinjarra, WA
Main farming activities:
Shorthorn Beef Production
Size of the enterprise:
11,000 Acres
Number of CATTLE:
2,000
Pinjarra
With cleaner cattle, we can sell them off
quicker and at a heavier weight.
Drench resistance in cattle is already becoming
a serious and widespread problem, according to
leading WA Shorthorn beef producer Marc Ross.
Since using ECLIPSE on his herd, Marc has noticed significant
health benefits in his cattle.
Marc, who manages Lanstal Pty Ltd, an 11,000 acre property in
Pinjarra comprising of 2,000 mainly Shorthorn breeders, carried
out a blanket drench of his herd earlier last year using ECLIPSE
Combination Pour-On for Cattle, after hearing reports of drench
resistance being found in cattle around Australia.
Marc had trouble with Ostertagia on his Pinjarra property in the
past, but has noticed a total turnaround since using ECLIPSE.
“The proof is already out there, that cattle worms are developing
resistance to traditional drenches – so why wait? It’s not a matter
of if drench resistance will occur in cattle on your property, it’s a
matter of when,” adds Marc.
With recent studies demonstrating that 2 out of every 3 beef cattle
properties tested already have drench resistance present,2,3 Marc
didn’t want to take any chances. So he decided to get in early and
stop drench resistance on his property before it even gets started.
Marc decided to introduce the combination pour-on, ECLIPSE,
as a way to break out of his previous, single-active ML (mectin)
drench routine.
“We are very proactive on the farm and like to be one step
ahead of anything that might become a problem in the future,”
says Marc, and he recommends other farmers take a proactive
approach to drench resistance as well.
“This year my cattle look healthier,” says Marc.
“ECLIPSE can control Ostertagia that have become resistant to the
single-active ‘mectin’ drenches, so with the cleaner cattle, we can
sell them off quicker and at a heavier weight, which is of course
good for business,” adds Marc.
Merial’s ECLIPSE Combination Pour-On for cattle is the country’s first
combination pour-on for beef producers. In light of the increasing
awareness about drench resistance in cattle parasites, animal
health supplier Merial developed ECLIPSE to help farmers like
Marc combat drench-resistant worms, resulting in healthier cattle
and the potential for improved profitability for the farm.
ECLIPSE contains two powerful actives – abamectin and levamisole –
in one single dose, creating a whole new level of parasite protection.
The abamectin component works to kill a broad spectrum of internal
and external parasites, while the levamisole component works to
kill ML-resistant strains of Cooperia and Ostertagia.*
Ian and Mel Laurie
Property:
Braidwood, NSW
Main farming activities:
Angus Beef
Size of the enterprise:
6,000 Hectares
Number of CATTLE:
4,000
Braidwood
We’ve seen an improved weight gain
in our cattle with ECLIPSE.
Ian and Mel Laurie manage their 2,000 cattle –
mainly Angus commercial cattle – over 6,000 acres
in Braidwood, NSW, in conjunction with their
Riverdale Australian Stock Horse stud. Ian is the
third generation cattle producer on the property
and hopes his son, who currently manages his own
operation, will take over one day – bringing the
family business into its fourth generation.
Along with their owned land in Braidwood, Ian and Mel are also
responsible for managing other family properties and also lease
another 4,000 acres for running steers, and backgrounding to
specific feedlot entry weight specifications. Combined they
manage up to 4,000 head.
Ian and Mel understand the importance of an effective drench to
get their cattle in the best condition and maximise their profits.
Using an effective drench that has been proven to kill all the
important worms, including those that are resistant to traditional
single active drenches, is crucial to a farm’s profitability.
“If your drench isn’t working effectively your farm’s profitability will
suffer,” says Mel.
Ian and Mel started using ECLIPSE Combination Pour-on for Cattle
predominantly on their younger cattle and feeder steers when it
was introduced to the market in 2012.
They’ve noticed significant improvement in weight gain after they
started using ECLIPSE.
“We want our cattle to gain as much weight as quickly as possible.
If a steer is gaining 1.5 kgs a day versus 0.5 kg a day it’s obviously a
lot more profitable for us, and the cattle are ready to sell quicker –
resulting in a lot more profitability for the farm,” explains Mel.
Since using ECLIPSE, Ian and Melanie have also found their heifers
join faster – a huge benefit for the husband and wife team who
manage their operation themselves.
“Heifer calving takes a lot of time and work. Since using ECLIPSE
we’ve noticed our heifers join in just six or eight weeks. This
reduces our workload as we don’t have to watch them for such a
long period of time. When you’ve got an operation of just a few
people, like ours, it makes everything a lot more effective,” says Ian.
Ian and Mel recommend ECLIPSE and believe it is an efficient and
cost effective drench for their farm.
“With the ECLIPSE low volume formulation you only have to use
half the volume you would normally use.^ This makes things much
easier.”
“ECLIPSE is very cost effective,” adds Ian.
When they aren’t working hard managing their busy beef and
horse stud operations, Ian and Melanie regularly compete in camp
drafting competitions, with Ian being one of the leading riders in
the Southern Camp-drafting Association.
Jim, Julia, Richard
and Peter Young
Property:
Walcha, NSW
Main farming activities:
Angus Cattle and Prime Lamb Production
Size of the enterprise:
3,800 Hectares
Number of CATTLE:
1,600
Walcha
I was well aware of the parasite drench resistance
in sheep but not so much in cattle.
Some cattle producers in the Walcha district may
be suffering significant production loses at the very
time they can least afford it.
Walcha farmer Jim Young is prepared to go on the record in the
interests of warning others who may be unaware that the drenches
they’ve been using may no longer be offering the protection they
used to.
“We drenched a mob of 1,600 or so steer weaner cattle earlier this
year in the usual way, but they just didn’t do any good over the 3
or 4 months between it being time to do them again. I couldn’t put
an exact figure on it, but I’d say each one might have been down
30 or 40 kilos on where they should have been. Whether it was
seasonal, or a drench problem, I couldn’t tell,” Jim explains.
Situated on 3,800 hectares of land in a high rainfall area near
Walcha, the Glen Collin Pastoral Company typically comprises
several thousand mostly Angus cattle, and a further third of the
operation focussed on prime lamb production. As such, Jim, his
wife Julia and sons Richard and Peter are certainly no strangers to
the perennial problem of worms.
However, having only just drenched using a product that had
always appeared to work well in the past, Jim was puzzled and
took his concerns to his local agent. This resulted in an immediate
trial of different drenches being conducted on groups of Jim’s
weaner steers.
“We tested them after administering the drenches to see how the
chemicals were working, and it showed very clearly that we had a
significant resistance problem to the straight single-active pour-on
we’d been using. While it was good at killing some worms, others
had built up a resistance to it and the problem was costing us dearly
across that entire herd of about 1,600 cattle,” Jim says.
We arranged to give one of the weaner trial groups the new
combination drench – ECLIPSE, with abamectin and levamisole.
“ECLIPSE killed the full spectrum of worms present so we quickly
went ahead and treated the entire herd and it’s shown excellent
results. It’s as easy, or easier to use than anything I’ve tried.
We’ll certainly use ECLIPSE from now on because, even though
it’s marginally dearer to buy, the dearest drench is the one that
doesn’t work,” Jim points out.
With the drench resistance episode now well behind him, Jim
and the Glen Collins Pastoral Company team are now squarely
focussed on supplying their premium 18 to 20 month old Angus
beef cattle and tender lamb to Woolworths and other top buyers.
“I was well aware of the parasite drench resistance in sheep but
not so much in cattle. It’s well established in sheep but with cattle
it’s much more insidious. You suffer production loss gradually
and it’s not evident until they get to a critical point, by which time
you’ve lost a lot of money though reduced weight gain. If you’re
currently using a single-active drench it’s definitely worth getting
some tests done,” Jim concludes.
Tom Lawson
Property:
Yea, VIC
Main farming activities:
Charolais, Red Angus and Stabilizers
Size of the enterprise:
2,000 Hectares
Number of CATTLE:
2,000
Yea
Use of a double acting pour-on has been the key.
Achieving higher prices per kilogram of beef isn’t
the only way cattle producers can boost farm
profitability during challenging market conditions.
One local family enterprise has substantially improved earnings
and lowered costs by maximising farm efficiency and productivity
through working in “biological harmony” with their land and
avoiding potentially counter-productive animal management
practices they continue to see being used elsewhere.
“For us it’s about low cost input systems for high production, and
keeping a close eye on soil balance and animal health and in
particular working closely with our cattle parasite management
specialist, to monitor and manage worms,” Tom reveals.
The Lawsons have been fortunate in that whilst they calculate
they’ve been spending less on drenches than many similar sized
outfits in the district, they’ve also experienced fewer animal health
problems.
“Fundamentally there seems to be a lack of awareness around
productivity issues such as drench-resistance in cattle with a lot of
people either over-drenching or under-drenching and suffering
reduced performance as a result,” explains Tom Lawson, of
Paringa Livestock, a successful breeding business set on just over
2,000 hectares near Yea.
Tom says his use of a double acting pour-on product has been
the key.
An innovative genetics-focussed operation that’s working towards
natural development of highly disease and parasite resistant
animals, the Lawson’s property typically carries about 2,000
head of cattle and 300 sheep. It’s primarily a bull selling business
specialising in Charolais, Red Angus and Stabilizers and the
property also produces excellent sheep utilising an alliance with
Focus Genetics from New Zealand.
“ECLIPSE is such a good fit with the biological focus of our
business because it’s highly effective at killing worms but doing
it in a way that’s avoiding drench resistance issues, so we won’t
need to be drenching nearly as much as we would with an inferior
product.”
Operated by Tom and Olivia Lawson with their sons Oscar and
Monty, the prize-winning enterprise has a distinctly biological
focus aimed at prevention rather than treatment ‘after the horse
has bolted’ and seeks to maximise profits by keeping the expense
of farm inputs low.
The team at Paringa Livestock recently switched to using the
latest technological advancement in cattle drenches – “ECLIPSE
Combination Pour-On for Cattle” which contains two powerful
actives – abamectin and levamisole in a single convenient dose.
Drench resistance from over drenching with ineffective chemical
is the last thing you want, so we test regularly and drench as little
as possible using the latest and most effective technology,” Tom
explains.
Matt Edwards
Property:
Jandowae, QLD
Main farming activities:
Wagyu Cross Cattle
Size of the enterprise:
10,000 Acres
Number of CATTLE:
5,500
Jandowae
ECLIPSE shines when you’re getting cattle from
different areas.
For one of Australia’s only live wagyu cross cattle
exporters, efficiency is key. Edwards Livestock, a
family enterprise headed by Matt Edwards and his
wife Alice, owns and leases 10,000 acres of land and
exports up to 5,500 wagyu cross cattle every year.
When the stakes are so high and quality so crucial, Matt needs an
effective drench he can rely on to perform. One that will eliminate
the important worms and external parasites first time, every time,
no questions asked.
Following a recommendation from his father-in-law, Michael Fahey
from Bizzy Brahman Stud Copmanhurst (one of the pioneers of
live cattle exports in Australia who has been in the business for
more than 20 years), Matt started using ECLIPSE Combination
Pour-On for Cattle to take care of his stock’s drenching needs
after many years of mixed success using conventional drenches.
With ECLIPSE, he believes he has found a more effective product
that eliminates important roundworms from all over Australia and
even those that have developed drench resistance.
“ECLIPSE shines when you are getting cattle from different
areas,” says Matt.
“Certain regions in Australia have different types of parasites.
We buy cattle from so many different areas of the country – four
different states stretching from Tasmania to Queensland – so
we need one drench that can control all of Australia’s important
worms, including those that have developed a resistance to
traditional single-active drenches,” explains Matt.
“A significant benefit we’ve found from using ECLIPSE is the time
saving factor. We intake cattle every month, so are constantly
drenching – by not having to rotate drenches and using just one
product on cattle coming in from multiple regions, it streamlines
the whole process,” says Matt.
Before ECLIPSE was launched, Matt went through a number
of different drenches, trying to find one that could reliably kill
worms and external parasites, including resistant worms, in his
cattle regardless of whether they were from North Queensland or
Tasmania.
“With ECLIPSE we only have to use the one product on our stock
to make sure we kill all the important worms, and ticks and buffalo
fly, along with any resistant worms. Most importantly, we are
confident with the product,” adds Matt.
“When we export cattle to Japan they need to be as healthy
and as clean as possible. The biggest benefit we’ve seen using
ECLIPSE is the weight gain and improved health of our cattle,
which is crucial to us as only the highest quality cattle are offered
for export and we pride ourselves on maintaining the highest
standards. Really you can only do that if you have parasite free
stock and that’s why ECLIPSE and the support we get from Merial
is so important to us,” says Matt.
Chas Armytage
Property:
Willaura, VIC
Main farming activities:
Charolais Beef and Merino Sheep
Size of the enterprise:
3,500 Acres
Willaura
When they’re treated with ECLIPSE,
they really stack on the weight.
Chas Armytage’s decision to switch to a
combination drench was an easy one after he
started to notice signs of drench resistance in his
Charolais herd.
An expert in his field, Chas runs his current operation of Charolais
beef and Merino sheep with his wife, son and daughter-in-law. He
and his wife have been managing their 3,500 acre property since
1983 and are one of just two Charolais farmers at Willaura.
Well aware of drench resistance in sheep, Chas started to notice
signs of resistance in his cattle as well – which prompted him to try
ECLIPSE Combination Pour-on for Cattle to avoid the potentially
devastating impact drench-resistant parasites could have on his
business.
“The main reason we decided to try ECLIPSE was because we
started to hear of and see signs of resistance in drenches. ECLIPSE
is a combination drench which is why we decided to make
the switch from the traditional single-active drenches we were
previously using,” explains Chas.
Drench resistance in sheep has been widely recognised as a
problem for many years, with Chas having conducted his own
sheep drench resistance tests.
Chas is concerned the problem is developing in cattle and
if farmers don’t act quickly, they could face some damaging
consequences, including poor growth rates and lost production.
“We are concerned that some parasites are becoming resistant.
You need to be mindful all the time,” says Chas.
Since Chas started using ECLIPSE he has noticed significant
improvement to the health of his cattle in many areas, but
particularly with weight gains.
“We noticed an immediate improvement in stock when we started
treating with ECLIPSE. The cattle look much healthier,” says Chas.
“We breed and sell pure Charolais. When they’re treated with
ECLIPSE they really stack on the weight which is crucial to the
success of our business,” says Chas.
From time to time Chas buys heifers from Southern Victoria and
Ballarat and always makes sure they are drenched with ECLIPSE
upon arriving onto his property.
“Using ECLIPSE as soon as cattle arrive on the property is an
important part of the process to make sure they are clean, healthy
and in the best condition,” says Chas.” And this also prevents
bringing resistant worms onto my property.”
ECLIPSE also kills lice as well as internal parasites.* “We will stick
with ECLIPSE for a long time. We think it’s an excellent product,”
says Chas.
Bill Varcoe
Property:
Narrawa Pastoral Co. Robe, SA
Main farming activities:
Angus Beef Production
Size of the enterprise:
15,000 Acres
Number of CATTLE:
1,200
Robe
We made the switch to ECLIPSE and have had
a really good result.
Bill Varcoe has grown the 3,000 acres he inherited
from his father into an impressive 15,000 acre cattle
enterprise, running over seven properties with
1,200 Red Angus cattle, which he exports overseas
or sells locally.
While all within South Australia, Bill’s properties are spread over
110kms, meaning he can face different climatic conditions over a
number of properties at any one time, and consequently could be
dealing with a different parasite mix on each property.
The fourth generation farmer is the first to admit he “runs his cattle
pretty hard”, so he needs an efficient and effective drench he can
rely on.
Previously a Dectomax® Injection user, incorporating Merial’s
ECLIPSE Combination Pour-On for Cattle into his drenching
program was a strategic move for Bill, as he wanted to break out
of his current drench routine and ensure he was getting the most
efficient kill of all the major worms present; including any resistant
to the single-active drench he had previously been using.
“ECLIPSE contains two drench actives – abamectin and levamisole
– instead of just one, so I thought it had to work. We had started
hearing reports that worms were developing a resistance to the
traditional single-active drenches.” As an EU accredited exporter,
it is important that Bill’s Red Angus cattle put on weight quickly so
he can sell them off faster and potentially at a higher price.
“We made the switch to ECLIPSE and have had a really good
result,” says Bill.
Since using ECLIPSE Bill has also found his cattle join quicker, and
he reports a dramatic improvement in joining times and rates since
using ECLIPSE.
“Our breeders join much faster after using ECLIPSE on them. We
changed the southern end of the operation over to a spring drop
and cut a month off the mating time – and have seen a significant
improvement,” says Bill.
Farming is truly in the family for Bill, who works with his wife Deb,
and veterinarian daughter Libby and son Aaron. Bill hopes that
Aaron, who is already in the farming business, and Libby will one
day take over the current Narrawa Pastoral operation.
Leon Quilliam
Property:
Winnaleah, NE TAS
Main farming activities:
Angus Steers and Angus Hereford
Cross and Shorthorn
Size of the enterprise:
720 Hectares
Winnaleah
Some cattle producers don’t realise
they have a parasite resistance problem.
Leon Quilliam, the manager at Muirhead
Enterprises’ “Ortawenah,” has seen it all before
during 25 years on the 720 Ha property, but has
continually found better ways of keeping the cattle
and cropping business profitable.
transported to the property they’re treated for everything necessary
including external and internal parasites.
“We’re always trying to put as much weight on the cattle as we can
in as short a time as we can, turning over as many cattle as possible
to earn maximum dollars at the end of the day while managing
down our costs,” he explains.
In addition to regular testing for parasites, Leon Quilliam’s team at
Muirhead Enterprises has upped the ante against drench-resistant
parasites by switching to ECLIPSE Combination Pour-On for Cattle.
But in managing farm costs, this veteran farmer fears that
some cattle producers may be leaving the farm gate open to a
potentially greater cost: the silent scourge of drench resistant
parasites.
“I’m afraid cattle producers have become a bit complacent about
drench resistance. I think there may be a lot of people out there who
have a problem but don’t know about it, or don’t want to know about
it, because they see managing parasites properly as something
they’d do if they could afford to,” he says.
“Drench resistant parasites translate directly into lost kilograms of
beef coming straight off their bottom-line. Even with a mild case
they haven’t noticed, it could easily be costing them 50 cents per
beast per day. If you have a thousand head of cattle that means
you’re losing over $180,000 in earnings each year and the chances
are, without regular testing, you may have absolutely no idea that
money’s walking out the door.”
Muirhead Enterprises runs a British breed program using Angus
steers for feedlots and Angus Hereford cross and shorthorn
for Greenham’s in Smithton. As new animals are bought and
“If we see a mob of cattle that just don’t look like they’re doing all
that well we get some testing done to see just what the problem
is,” he reveals.
According to Quilliam, the selection of a combination drench
was the key. Combination drenches include two or more broadspectrum actives that work together to effectively kill resistant
parasites, since it’s much less likely that worms will be resistant to
two actives at the same time.
Leon is making time to share the accumulated wisdom he and
others have acquired over the years through local cattle producer
discussion groups.
He’s hopeful that farmers’ discussion groups and improved
awareness through rural media will get the message across to
Tasmanian cattle producers. Usage of single-active drenches
instead of combination drenches could be leading producers
towards parasite resistance a lot faster.
“The unfortunate thing is that, because they’re drenching the same
old way and think they’re safe, some cattle producers don’t realise
they have a parasite resistance problem, simply because they don’t
test for it.”
“My message to cattle producers is if you don’t think, or don’t know
if you have a problem, do a test and find out, because you could
easily save yourself a lot of money.”
ALL OVER AUSTRALIA, WE GET
BETTER RESULTS WITH ECLIPSE.
For more information on ECLIPSE Combination Pour-On for Cattle
contact: your local Merial Territory Manager or www.merial.com.au
*ECLIPSE is the only cattle drench with a registered label claim for the treatment and control of roundworms including macrocyclic lactone
or levamisole resistant strains. See product label for full claim details and directions for use. ^ECLIPSE is dosed at 1 mL/20 kg bodyweight,
compared to traditional 1mL/ 10 kg pour-on cattle drenches. 1. Rendell (2010). 2. Cotter, Besier & Van Burgel (2012). 3. Data on file – ECLIPSE
studies. Merial Australia Pty Ltd, Building D, 12-24 Talavera Road, Macquarie Park, NSW 2113 (ABN 53 071 187 285). ®ECLIPSE is a registered
trademark of Merial Limited. ®Dectomax is a registered trademark of Zoetis P LLC. ©2014 Merial Limited. All rights reserved. ECLP-14-01-006