author(s)
A Serma Saravana Pandian, S Senthilkumar and M Raman

abstract
A study was conducted among the sheep farmers of Tirunelvel district of Tamil Nadu regarding the awareness on anthelmintic usage and Target Selective Anthelmintic Treatment (TST). A sample of 240 sheep farmers belonging to NABARD farmers’ clubs of Tirunelveli, Ambasamudram and Tenkasi division of the district were selected by multistage random sampling method. The data were collected by personal interview method with the help of a pre-tested well fabricated interview schedule. The data collected were analysed by conventional percentage analysis and Discriminant function analysis. The study revealed that 72 percent of the sample sheep farmers were aware of the importance of anthelmintic usage and its economic benefits. Among these farmers (92 per cent) used Albendazole, Levamizole and Oxyclozanide as anthelmintic drugs. Only 34 per cent of the farmers were aware of the importance of Rotational anthelmintic administration. This practice was followed by the sheep farmers who have close association with the local veterinarian. Others were using the same drug throughout the year. None of the sample farmers in the study area were aware of the importance of target selective althelmintic treatment and WORMCHECK chart. The socio-economic and demographic factors associated with the awarness of anthelmintic usage was analysed by discriminant function analysis. The results of the discriminant function analysis showed that among the eleven variables chosen for analysis, the variables age, education, farm size, proportion of income from sheep rearing and the extent of veterinarians contact were the statistically significant (p<0.05) variables which discriminated between the sheep farmers who were aware and non-aware of the anthelmintic usage pattern.