Users give tick to easier drenching

from The Farmlander - November 2021 North

Lots to gain in keeping potassium replenished

As lambs approach weaning, it’s time for farmers to plan their parasite control programmes. A pre-weaning drench is a useful tool for farmers to get maximum growth rates from their lambs leading up to weaning. This is particularly important in summer dry areas, where growth rates cannot be relied upon after weaning through the summer.

A pre-weaning drench can easily be coordinated with a 5-in-1 vaccination or vitamin B12 supplementation, which are also important for young growing lambs. With large numbers of lambs to be drenched pre-weaning and at weaning, Scorpius Elite can make this job easier and quicker for farmers. Scorpius Elite was launched to the market by Donaghys with much fanfare in March. Donaghys created Scorpius Elite in response to requests from New Zealand farmers for an easier way to drench sheep. Uptake of the new product has been high, with over 400,000 doses of Scorpius Elite used in the field in the first 6 months since launch, with farmers receiving excellent results. Donaghys surveyed users and received the following feedback: You’ve taken one of the worst jobs and made it easy (no more stress). Awesome product, very little stress on my animals. …great product… …game changer… …very happy with results… The most exciting feedback came from Rob and Alex Foreman in Pahiatua:

| Farmers have been searching for an easier and quicker way to drench sheep. “We have been dealing with triple combination drench resistance for 18 months and after really struggling we tried Scorpius Elite. So easy to put on the sheep, and the egg count at 11 days post drench was zero! We couldn’t believe it! We have resistance to the two ingredients when given traditionally in the mouth. Scorpius Elite has given us another tool in the toolbox to farm our way out of drench resistance.” So not only have farmers been benefiting from the ease of use with Scorpius Elite, they have also been getting excellent results, even in situations where drench resistance is present. This backs up what was shown in the trial work supporting Scorpius Elite’s registration. Scorpius Elite is used at a dose rate of 1ml per 2.5kg body weight and is applied in one spot to the base of the fleece onto the skin between the shoulder blades. It can be used in crossbred sheep of any wool length from 2 weeks after shearing. Scorpius Elite has a meat withhold of 16 days, giving farmers flexibility when regularly drafting lambs to the works. The team at Donaghys and Farmlands are looking forward to even more farmers taking advantage of the benefits that Scorpius Elite provides in its second season in the market.