A new bolus to supply cattle weighing over half a tonne with enough essential trace elements for six months in one single application has been developed by Animax, a multinational veterinary technology and animal supplementation company.

Its belief is that in many cases, forage alone does not offer enough essential trace elements to allow productive livestock to flourish, but when adding feed and feed supplements, farmers still cannot be sure every animal is getting enough for optimal performance.

Conversely, supplying more than enough will either by-pass what an animal can physically absorb or cause toxicity. Animax said it had been working hard to innovate the answer.

Complimentary to any type of farming operation and feeding system, its Tracesure Cattle XL now enables farmers to supply cattle over 500kg with enough essential trace elements for six months in just one bolus and in one single application.

This bolus builds on the existing Tracesure range already proven to promote digestion and feed conversion, support animal health and performance, and optimise time and labour efficiency.

As well as offering assurance that cattle have a continual and consistent supply of high quality trace elements – namely selenium, iodine, and cobalt – selected to work with and support the natural mechanisms of the animal.

According to Nigel Hemphill, commercial director at Animax, the bolus observes the golden rule for high livestock productivity.

“One of the most crucial factors in bolusing safely and cost-effectively is utilising the right sized bolus for the right sized animal to supply enough trace elements. This has never been more relevant than today, when livestock farmers are coping with all-time high input prices and margin pressures,” said Mr Hemphill.

“By proactively bolusing, we can reduce the risk of reactive measures caused by the deficiencies we commonly find in forage. The bolus enables farmers to supply the essential trace elements proven to promote digestion, support animal health and optimise time efficiency on farm.”

* Farmers can get the new ergonomically designed bolus applicator free with every eight boxes of 10 bolus ordered between March and June, 2023.