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Integrated tick management communications

Integrated tick management practices can mitigate the impact of ticks.

Publication date: 07 April 2022
Project status: Completed
Livestock species: Grain-fed Cattle, Grass-fed Cattle, Sheep, Goat, Lamb
Relevant regions: National

Summary

This project delivered six articles on tick communication management. The articles covered:
-The biology of a tick: A tick in time. Spring rise, life cycle, treatment cycle. Why killing one tick in September stops 1000 at Christmas time
-Tick fever: five ways to prevent it. History, vaccination practicalities of prevention, diagnosis and treatment
-Acaricide resistance: what chemicals work and don't work on ticks and how to test for resistant ticks
-Theileria and biosecurity: how this silent and deadly killer hitched a ride around Australia
-Regulation: the state of play on tick control. Tick line, inspections and state regulations
-Genetics: breeding tick resistant cattle

Objectives

The objective of this project was to deliver six practical, producer-facing articles associated with integrated tick management.

Benefits to industry

Ticks result in significant production losses and animal wellbeing concerns, but using integrated tick management such as timing treatment with the lifecycle of a tick, vaccinating, using appropriate treatments and biosecurity protocols , and genetics can mitigate the effect. This project communicated practical advice for integrated tick management strategies.