Facial Eczema Precautions

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 26, 2 March 1948, Page 5

Facial Eczema Precautions

Stockmen Should Watch Pasture Management “Experience has shown that it is not possible to foretell when outbreaks of facial eczema will occur. It is known however, that they follow dry hot spells, weather in which heavily stocked pastures become very bare,” says Mr J. Burgess, Government inspector of stock at Whakatane, in a statement released to the Beacon last night.

Such conditions now exist in a number of districts, and if the pastures are suddenly flushed by warm rain at any time during the next two months, very active precautionary measures will need to be taken if serious outbreaks are to be prevented. Stock owners should therefore make plans now so that they can be put into operation immediately the rains fall. Mr Burgess went on to say that facial eczema is due to a toxic substance which becomes concentrated in the young pastures which grow so rapidly under the conditions outlined above. The only method of preventing the disease is to reduce the intake of such young pasture to an absolute minimum. Where possible this should be done by transferring stock to pastures which previous experience has shown to be safe. Hill pastures consisting of native grasses, paspalum pastures, irrigated pastures, or other pastures which have been green dui’ing the summer and mature pastures are generally fairly safe. Pastures containing young vigorously growing rye grass are very dangerous. Where safe grazing is not available stock should be confined to small areas to limit the amount of dangerous pasture eaten. The concentration should be not less than 100 sheep or 10 cows per acre. While so confined they should be fed on whatever may be available.

Crops of rape, turnips, chou moellier, kale, maize and lucerne should be used to the best advantage. It will probably be necessary to ration them by allowing only one or two hours grazing per day. Hay and silage will be the main stand-by in most districts. This should be fed in the paddocks in which the stock are confined. Such measures may in some cases result in semi-starvati6n with attendant reduction in lactation in dairy cattle, loss of condition in fat stock and some delay in lambing in ewes which have been mated. However, a serious ‘ outbreak of facial eczema will not only have all these effects, but will in addition permanently injure the health of a large proportion of the affected herds and flocks.

The length of time during which precautions must be taken depends on the weather conditions, but it does not often exceed a fortnight. If the rains are accompanied by a cold change or are followed immediately by hot dry weather, very little flushing occurs and the dangerous period will be much shorter. Warning will be issued in the press and over ttie air as soon as conditions are considered dangerous, and stock owners should be ready to act immediately. Prompt action is absolutely necessary as the pastures are most dangerous during the first few days following rain, atod. once stock have become affected treatment is of very little value.