Mectec Cattle Pour On **

Mectec (generic form of Ivomec)

Mectec is a single active pour-on for cattle, made by IO

The active ingredient is Ivermectin. This active ingredient has been around for MANY years.

For any farmer serious about killing intestinal worms, this is NOT the product they should choose. There is far too much reported resistance to Ivermectin for this product to carry any confidence in efficacy (see more below)

Dose rate: 1ml per 10kg

ESI – 28 days Milk Withhold – 0 days

Do not use in pregnant cows less than 7 days prior to calving

To apply: use any cattle pour-on applicator with a large enough barrel for required dose rate. Apply in a single band along the back from the withers to the top of the tail.

For properties where it might still work ok, or the farmer is only willing to pay the cheapest price for something, Mectec is a broad spectrum drench that will also kill biting and sucking lice – see label for more info.

Industry best practice is two fold: we should no longer rely on one active ingredient, and we should consider that injectable and oral administration of cattle drench is the preferred method for efficacy.

If a farmer wants to still use a PO product, and get better efficacy, they should consider Cattleguard, Eprinomax or Dectomax.

If a farmer wants to use a premium product, particularly for cattle under 12 months of age, they should use Dectomax V (dual acting injectable), Trifecta Oral (triple active oral) or Cydectin Platinum (dual active P/O).

Pour-ons are still favoured by many producers as they are easy to use, and they have often done it this way for years. If a producer does not have a good cattle crush or staff to help, then a pour-on product might also still be the safest way, but please encourage them to use a better pour-on than this one!

As with any cattle drench, focus should be on cattle under 18 months of age, as they are the most susceptible to worms – particularly up to 12 months of age, as they will have not yet developed any immunity to worms.