Agriculture Victoria and Paraboss head Deborah Maxwell have warned sheep producers to keep an eye out for Barber's Pole Worm, which usually less prevalent in the state than other areas.
The worm gets its name from the 'Barber-pole' colouration of the female worm as its blood-filled intestine and uterus intertwine.
ParaBoss executive officer Dr Deborah Maxwell said while Barber's Pole worm was present in Victoria, all the time, it was normally present in very low numbers.
"The last few years we have had much higher summer rainfall into autumn, in some places, so the conditions have been extremely favorable for the worm," Dr Maxwell said.
Some Victorian producers had been caught by surprise by the emergence of Barber's Pole worm, she said.
"It's not a winter worm, it's a summer worm, but it's not just high rainfall, it's frequent rainfall," she said.
"When the conditions are good, earlier, the worms cover the pasture with eggs that hatch into larvae, which live on the pastures for months."
Drier summers, which were usually more typical in Victoria, were not favorable for Barber's Pole worm.
"Worm eggs hatch in the summer and autumn, if you have the right conditions the sheep graze and pick up more and more, until it becomes a problem," she said.
The impact of scour worms was often very obvious, with sheep losing weight.
"Bur with Barber's Pole worm, they don't lose weight and they don't scour - they die," Dr Maxwell said.
"It's not sudden death, it takes many weeks, but there are no obvious signs.
"The sheep get less and less blood, they keep walking around grazing, they are not losing weight, and suddenly it's too much for them
"They have run out of blood, they get stressed a bit and they fall over and die."
A good egg testing system was the best way to combat the worm.
"Producers can do worm egg counts, regularly, and that will pick them up long before they usually have problems."
Barber's Pole worm was a very prolific egg layer and counts could pick up thousands of eggs per gram.
"But when they see that, the sheep aren't going to die, but it's a big warning to go and drench," she said.
An Agriculture Victoria spokeswoman said affected stock should be moved onto a clean paddock so worm egg counts could be monitored.
Andrew Miller
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
