About project

Ruminant animals including cattle, sheep, goats and buffalo are the largest livestock production system in the world according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. They produce more than half of all protein produced by the livestock sector. Ruminants are exposed to helminths, worm-like parasites, which can cause severe disease, significantly decreasing productivity with important economic consequences for farmers. Like bacteria and antibiotics, excessive use of anthelmintics has led to resistance. The EU-funded SPARC project intends to identify good practices for sustainable worm control in different production systems and regions and demonstrate them on pilot farms. Wide dissemination in many languages of knowledge gained will spur a lasting collaboration within the field of sustainable helminth resistance.