MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Tierra del Fuego flock infested with melophagus ovinus

Melophagus ovinus

A controversy over the presence of melophagus ovinus (*), or sheep ked in the Chilean Tierra del Fuego flock has broken out between Chilean animal health officials and farmers' organizations.

It all started when a recent visit to Punta Arenas, Magallanes Region by Luis Schmidt president of Chile's most powerful farmers association, the National Agriculture Society, SNA, who claimed that over half of the Tierra del Fuego farms have been isolated because of the melophagus ovinus and that the Ministry of Agriculture does not have funds to face the infestation. But Carlos Rowland, head of the Magallanes Agriculture and Livestock Service, SAG (animal health department) rebuked Mr. Schmidt's statements arguing he's ill informed. "We believe that the president of SNA is seriously ill informed, since it's not sustainable when he points out that 60% of sheep farms in Tierra del Fuego have been sealed off because of the presence of the melophagus ovinus; the real number is only 15%", said Rowland during an interview with the Magallanes press. Rowlands said that of the 350 farms with sheep in Chilean Tierra del Fuego only 54 have been sealed off and SAG (animal health services) is already working actively "to reverse the sanitary situation". "What really is happening is that the Farmers Association of Magallanes, Asogama, have refused to accept SAG authority on the issue and have supported some of those farmers, even in court, but the numbers speak for themselves", added Rowland. "We are willing to work with all farmers, but as long as we are truthful about numbers, since Asogama is pretending to make the issue far more serious. The matter of the fact is that those farms sealed off continue to work harmoniously with us with excellent results and in a couple of years should have recovered completely". The head of SAG made the comments during a meeting in Tierra del Fuego with sheep farmers to address the issue of the melophagus ovinus, livestock transport and cattle and sheep rustling in the area. Rowland also denied Schmidt statements that the "the Ministry of Agriculture seems to have gone broke because it is redistributing funds earmarked for specific programs to emergency situations. "The fact is that in Magallanes the Ministry has invested over five millions of dollars in recovering eroded soils benefiting 18.000 hectares belonging to 400 farmers", underlined Rowland. Chilean farmers are confronted with the government over several points: drought support, exchange rate which favors imports and hampers exports and soaring domestic costs. SNA directors, such as Mr. Schmidt have been touring Chile to rally support for a massive demonstration against the administration of President Michelle Bachelet which faces crucial mid term elections in the coming months. Magallanes and Tierra del Fuego have a flock of over two million head, by far the most important in Chile. (*) Melophagus ovinus also known as "sheep tick" is flat, leathery, reddish-brown parasitic insect about ¼ inch long; resembles a large tick but has only six legs and is a wingless, bloodsucking fly; a noticeable piercing mouthpart projects forward from the head. Keds spend all their time on the host; both males and females feed several times daily; if separated from the host they die within four days. The method of infestation is host-to-host contact facilitated by the sheep's close herding behavior and at breeding and nursing; keds move in great numbers from shorn adults to lambs; some dispersal between herds is via human handlers and on shearing equipment. Numbers are highest during cool weather, especially on previously non infested sheep that have not yet developed a protective immune response to keds.