Research project Sustainable worm control in ruminants

General introduction

Wider application of sustainable worm control in ruminants in Europe is the goal of this multi-actor network SPARC. Concretely, the researchers aim to widely disseminate best practices, tools and solutions on sustainable worm control that improve (1) animal health and welfare on the farms; (2) economic performance, and (3) the environmental sustainability of the sector.

Research approach

A multi-actor network is created in the EU and UK with four types of actors: 1) Grazing ruminant farmers (people who engage in the breeding, keeping and working with grazing ruminants); 2) Veterinarians (people who practice veterinary medicine), 3) Farm advisors (people who engage in professional activity aiding farmers in developing their management activities and improving production) and 4) partner and associated organisations to form the thematic network. Partner and associated organisations are drawn from multiple sectors, including governmental agencies, advisory bodies; universities and research institutes; technical and pharmaceutical enterprises; and farmers’ organisations.

Relevance/Valorization

The international project SPARC's efforts ultimately target improved performance and resilience of the livestock farms involved. We expect the adoption of greener production methods with less use of anthelmintics and more use of agroecological approaches, with the support of new digital technologies (platforms, apps, algorithms) as key facilitators of sustainableworm control. Strong and self-sustaining communities are emerging to promote sustainable worm control even beyond the scope of the thematic network. We call a halt to the escalating anthelminthic resistance and its detrimental effects on health, welfare, productivity and farm income. Livestock farms gain resilience.

Financing

EU Horizon Europe