Traditional monitoring of facial eczema has relied on counting spores in the pasture. However this method can be unreliable because of large variations in the spore count between different parts of the same paddock, between different paddocks and different farms. It is also very difficult to sample in exactly the same manner as what the animals are going to graze.
Faecal spore counting (FSC) involves counting the spores that have actually passed through the animal (they pass through unchanged). This gives a very accurate assessment of actual spore intake by the stock and avoids the variability seen with pasture spore counting. Once the risk to stock has been assessed, then appropriate measures can be taken. High frequency monitoring means that problems can be detected before significant production loss sets in.
A faecal spore counting service is available to farmers though the Ravensdown Direct channel. This is accessed via the special faecal spore counting test pack. Samples collected by the farmer will be sent in the courier pack and results will be relayed back to the farmer via one of the Ravensdown animal health team. Full instructions are included on the submission form.
The alternative is to purchase a FECPAK unit: (this allows testing to be performed on-farm)
- FECPAK F100 Unit with monocular microscope - SPOR option (just tests facial eczema spores).
- FECPAK F200 Unit with binocular microscope - SPOR option (just tests facial eczema spores).
- FECPAK Bolt-on (SPOR option) - If the farmer already has a FECPAK unit (for measuring worm eggs), they can purchase a bolt-on (SPOR option).
- FECPAK Unit without the microscope (SPOR option) - If a farmer already has a suitable microscope and wants to buy all the rest of the equipment, they can buy a complete FECPAK unit minus the microscope.
For more information see: The Animal Health and Nutrition Brochure