Prevention

In order to prevent Blowfly strike, the following steps are recommended:

• Application of a preventative product in advance of the main risk period for flies

  • Discuss with your vet or RAMA the most appropriate product, based on labour resources, age of your lambs during the risk period, withdrawal periods and anticipated slaughter dates

• Reduce dirty backends - Dagging, crutching and timely shearing are all important.

• Tail docking lambs is a debated but accepted procedure to reduce strike in lowland flocks.

• Control worm burdens. Discuss with your vet an appropriate faecal egg counting and parasite control plan.

• Treat lame sheep promptly. Flies are attracted to wounds caused by footrot

• Manage the fly population: Reducing the fly population early in the year has the greatest impact on the fly challenge during the grazing season

  • Inexpensive fly traps have been shown to reduce strike incidence by 80% in a season

  • Prompt disposal of deadstock

  • In high risk periods, consider grazing more exposed pastures which are less favourable to the flies.

Long fleeces and tails, as well as dirty back-ends (probably due to worms) all increase the risk of blowfly strike