Veterinary medicines

Dung flies and dung beetles form an important part of the pasture ecosystem and include a number of species that are listed on the UK Biodiversity Action Plans.  Dung-associated invertebrates are an important dietary component for various insectivorous vertebrates including common farmland birds such as the yellow wagtail and rarer species such as the chough and greater horseshoe bat.  There are currently no internationally recognised guidelines for testing the effects of veterinary medicinal products, for example endoparasiticides and ectoparasiticides, on dung flies and dung beetles.  Ecotox is a member of the DOTTS (Dung Organism Toxicity Test Standardisation) group that is in the process of producing draft test methods for the evaluation of veterinary medicinal products.