New Insecticide Developed For Cattle Ear Tags, Aims To Break Insecticide Resistance With Flies

Dec 14, 2015
It’s been a while since the cattle industry has had a new ear tag with a new chemistry to battle horn flies and face flies. That’s on the horizon for 2016. Bayer HealthCare Animal Health’s new insecticidal ear tag called Tolfenpro Insecticide Ear Tag. It has a new active ingredient that will help cattle producers control both horn flies and face flies. It will be effective for beef cattle, non-lactating dairy cattle and lactating dairy cattle.
 
New Insecticide Developed for Cattle Ear Tags, Aims to Break Insecticide Resistance With Flies
 
Product Manager Bruce Brinkmeyer said they will bring to the market a new cattle insecticide ear tag in 2016. Tolfenpro will offer cattle producers a new active ingredient, Tolfenpyrad, in the pyrazole chemical class.
 
Both horn flies and face flies can be a big problem for cattle producers in potentially spreading disease and reducing weight gain. Brinkmeyer said horn flies are a huge economic expense. Because horn flies don’t have any previous experience with this chemical, he expects strong efficacy and up to five months control of horn flies from the Tolfenpro ear tag. Bayer is currently manufacturing and boosting supplies. Brinkmeyer said the product will be available in the spring of 2016.
 
Tolfenpro utilizes a new active ingredient that has a mode of action as a mitochondrial electron transport inhibitor, meaning that it prevents an insect’s cells from producing the energy needed to function and live. Dr. Larry Hawkins, DVM, senior technical services veterinarian at Bayer said it’s important to rotate not just between active ingredients but also modes of action for an effective rotation strategy, and Tolfenpro fits well in a rotation program using pyrethroid, organophosphate or avermectin ear tags because it has a different mode of action.
 
 
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