Goat keepers cluster reports: project R7424 CAN FEEDING LOCALLY AVAILABLE PLANT MATERIAL RICH IN TANNINS REDUCE PARASITIC BURDEN IN RUMINANTS AND HENCE IMPROVE THEIR PRODUCTIVITY?

Gastrointestinal parasitic infections are a major constraint to small ruminant productivity in the tropics and subtropics, including Tanzania. This significantly reduces the economy and food supply to small farmers and their families. Earlier studies at the University of Nottingham (see for example Butter et al., 2000) have shown that feeding the extracted tannin from Quebracho (used in the leather industry) dramatically reduces the parasite burden of infected sheep. Tannins often occur in high concentrations in browse plants and could be used to control gastrointestinal parasites. A three-year project (R7424) funded by the DFID Livestock Production Programme, was, therefore, initiated in 1999 between Sokoine University of Agriculture (Tanzania) and University of Nottingham (UK) to study the possibility of using locally available plant materials or their extracts to reduce parasitic burden in small ruminants. This approach has the potential to yield a cheap and environmentally friendly alternative to using chemically based anthelmintics. This paper briefly outlines the project aims and achievements to date.