SMALL RUMINANT PRODUCTION IN EUROPE : STATE OF THE ART AND MAJOR CHALLENGES WITH FOCUS ON OUTDOOR ACCESS AND PARASITE INFECTION.

Summary in the original language of the document

Compared to pig or poultry productions, the conversion from conventional to organic farming (OF) systems probably affects less the small ruminants, because the mode of production throughout Europe is generally based on outdoor grazing. This means that the presence of endoparasites associated with grazing has long been known as a major challenge in small ruminant production. In conventional systems the usual mode of control of helminths relies mostly on an intensive use of chemical anthelmintics (AHs), at strategic times depending on the epidemiology of parasites. The emphasis on non chemical prevention in OF, restricting the number of treatments per year, means that other strategies have to be evaluated and implemented in order to avoid or, at least, to severely reduce the use of chemical drugs. Three main basic concepts can be applied to prevent parasite infections and/or to maintain the intensity of infection under a threshold compatible with production. These approaches concern either the free living stages in the environment or the host parasitic stages: 1/ To avoid or to reduce the contact between the host and the infective stages of parasites. 2/ To reinforce the host response against the parasites in order to limit the negative effects of parasitism on animal health and production. 3/ To kill the parasites within the host and consequently reduce the contamination of environment with parasitic eggs.