Consumers who are concerned about animal welfare consider that it is essential that ruminants can graze outside for at least part of the year, depending on the weather. But when ruminants are kept outside for grazing, they also face a higher risk of becoming infected with parasites and becoming ill. For this reason the control on gastrointestinal worms is crucial for animal health – but also for the economic success of the farmer.

The site www.weide-parasiten.de offers a simple management tool that allows farmers to incorporate treatments to prevent parasite infections (parasite prophylaxis) into their pasture planning. Four decision trees have now been developed - one for intensively managed young cattle in the first pasture season, one for young cattle in suckler cow herds and two for lambs in intensive sheep and goat farming. With answers to yes / no questions on the pasture of the animals the user navigates through the decision tree. The decision tree ends with a recommendation. Through trial and error, the user can also try out the various ways through the navigation scheme of the decision trees. Doing this will help farmers find out which pasture conditions must be fulfilled to reduce the consumption of medicinal products while not endangering animal health and economic success.

The site also offers basic information on sustainable parasite control and efficient use of medicines.

Still - users should always keep in mind that decision trees are only a support tool and the recommendations need to be processed taking into consideration the specificities of the context.