The effect of mid-lactation treatment with topically applied eprinomectin on milk production in nine New Zealand dairy farms

The New Zealand dairy industry has shown little interest in exploring the impact of gastrointestinal parasitism on productivity in adult dairy cattle and as a consequence there has been little research completed. A randomised clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of mid-lactation anthelmintic treatment on milk production under the extensive New Zealand pastoral dairying system. A random sample of cows from nine commercial dairy herds in the Manawatu region of New Zealand was treated once with pour-on eprinomectin at the dose rate of 0.5 mg/kg during the afternoon milking in the period 6 Jan 2013 to 24 Jan 2013. The treatment cows (n = 540) were matched to control cows (n = 540) within their respective herds and the change in milk production, recorded at the first two herd tests after treatment, was analysed using a linear mixed effects model. The study found a small but significant increase in energy corrected milk production of 0.35 kg/day (95% CI 0.05-0.64) at the first and second herd tests after treatment. There were no significant interactions found between treatment and age or between treatment and the bulk tank Ostertagia antibody ELISA ODR indicating that the beneficial response to eprinomectin treatment appeared independent of age of animal or ODR result. A concurrent North Island drought may have affected the response to treatment. Even so, the small effect of eprinomectin treatment on milk production found in this trial is, we believe, not sufficient to advocate whole herd treatment of dairy cows in New Zealand.