Novel solutions for the sustainable control of nematodes in ruminants - Studies in Greece
In Greece the main livestock species are small ruminants, due to the nature of the landscape. The population of sheep is approximately 9 million and of goats 6 million. Cattle population is approximately 620 thousands head.
Most areas provided for grazing animals are of limited size and of hilly or mountainous structure. This pasture structure allows grazing for sheep and goats, but it is not suitable for cattle or other animal species. Most pastures are of communal use and several flocks/herds graze it during the day. Therefore small ruminants are mainly kept traditionally under the semi-extensive system, while cattle are kept indoors. Both sheep and goats are kept for milk production and lamb/kid meat is considered as a by-product.
It is very common practice to keep both sheep and goats together in the same flock. Most breeds are dairy local breeds or cross breeds with local or other imported dairy breeds. Recently imported breeds started to increase for better milk yield.
Mixed stocking is a common practice in Greece
In mainland, 50.7% of flocks consist of 50-200 animals. On islands flocks usually are smaller.
The number of anthelmintic treatments per year is 47.7% one treatment per year, 32.3% two treatments and the rest usually do not administer any treatment at all. In most cases (over 54%) benzimidazole anthelmintics are used and the rest is levamisole and macrocyclic lactones. Milk residues period for anthelmintics is of major importance, because all are milking animals. Also the cost of anthelmintics is a significant reason to reduce treatments per year.
At the time present, anthelmintic resistance is not considered a serious problem. However, it is increasing constantly exceeding 20%. Teladorsagia circumcincta is the resistant worm in most cases and Haemonchus contortus is less common. Teladorsagia spp. is the most prevalent worm throughout the year, followed by Trichostrongylus spp., Haemonchus spp., Cooperia spp., Chabertia spp. and others. Parasitic bronchopneumonitis is common mainly due to small lungworms. Also, small liver fluke (Dicrocoelium dendriticum) is highly prevalent everywhere.
Farmers usually are approached through the local veterinarians, with whom they are in close collaboration. Veterinarians belong to two different systems of service: one is of governmental and the other is of private basis. It is common one farmer to introduce to another in the close area. The best place to find all farmers together, either to approach or discuss/train, is the local café, where usually all go and the place is not only an entertainment point but educational/reporting centre, as well.
Farmers keeping small ruminants nowadays in Greece comprise a population part that tends to be ageing, since younger people do not prefer any longer this hard kind of work.
In Thessaloniki (Northern Greece) exists a college (American Farm School) aiming to provide formal professional agricultural education and training to disseminate technical information and know how. Also throughout the country, there are several technical educational institutes for agricultural (animal production) education and training, most new methods (no matter how effective they are) are accepted mostly on the basis of cost of money and less of work.
For this reason, targeted selected treatments were relatively easily accepted by farmers. This practice has been applied up to now empirically by farmers due to financial reasons, i.e. treating the productive (highly milk producing individuals) animals or the ones in need (lower than expected body weight/body condition, with soft faeces etc). Production criteria have been accepted by farmers better than the parasitological (faecal egg counts) due to less reliance on vets and laboratory.
Parasol Activities in Greece (english, PDF, 80 kB)