of our current understanding of parasite survival in silage and stored forages , with a focus on Fasciola hepatica metacercariae *

Fasciola hepatica, commonly referred to as liver fluke, is a parasitic trematode associated with temperate climates. It primarily affects sheep and cattle but other species including horses, deer, buffalo and camelids can be infected. Human fasciolosis has been identi‐ fied as a re‐emerging zoonosis and neglected tropical disease (World Health Organisation (WHO) (2007)). Fluke are found in the liver and bile ducts of their definitive hosts, causing acute and chronic dis‐ ease characterized by haemorrhage, anaemia, impaired liver func‐ tion and weight loss. With regard to ruminant livestock, the impact of sub‐clinical infection with F. hepatica on growth rate and milk yield is estimated to cost the UK cattle industry £40.4 million an‐ nually (Bennett & Ijpelaar, 2005). Additional economic costs include those related to use of veterinary diagnostics and drug treatment, cost of biosecurity measures and loss of value due to carcass con‐ demnation. The increasing prevalence of livestock fasciolosis is of major concern; there is also an increase in disease incidence. This has been attributed to many factors such as climate change and emerging anthelmintic drug resistance—particularly to triclabenda‐ zole, a commonly used treatment. Expanding livestock movements and changing farm management practices such as irrigation and Received: 11 October 2018 | Revised: 8 March 2019 | Accepted: 7 April 2019 DOI: 10.1111/gfs.12429