Anthelmintic resistance in nematode parasites of sheep: learning from the Australian experience

In recent years the problem of anthelmintic resistance has become of major importance in sheep and goat flocks throughout the world. In Australia, concerted efforts were initiated in the mid 1980s to halt the increase in resistance by the development and promotion of regional worm control programmes. This article outlines the genesis of these programmes, the way in which they were promoted and successfully adopted by farmers, and the concerns for effective parasitic control of sheep and goat flocks in the future. The principles outlined should be applicable in other countries where anthelmintics are relied upon for the control of nematodes in livestock.