27/02/2026
Another great example of our interconnected world.
And how, when we as humans try to ‘fix’ things for our own benefit, we inevitably ‘break’ something else!
A healthy field does not drown in its own waste. It breathes it in.
The Myth: The Passive Pasture
We generally view livestock dung as a noxious byproduct—something gross that ruins the grass, smells foul, and simply washes away with the winter rain or slowly disintegrates over time. We assume that the breakdown of pasture waste is a passive, inevitable process handled by weather and time.
The Scientific Reality: The Subterranean Workforce
Dung does not simply vanish; it must be actively dismantled. In the UK, this mammoth task falls to over 60 native species of dung beetle, primarily from the Aphodius (dwellers) and Geotrupes (tunnellers) genera.
These beetles are the keystone engineers of pasture ecosystems. A single cow can produce up to 12 tonnes of dung a year. Without tunnellers to physically drag this organic matter down into the soil matrix, the dung remains on the surface, smothering the grass beneath it and creating a "zone of repugnance" where livestock refuse to graze.
By burying the dung, the beetles rapidly pull vital nitrogen and phosphorus directly to the plant roots, dramatically increase soil aeration, and destroy the wet, warm habitat required by nuisance livestock flies to breed. Studies estimate that the ecological services provided by dung beetles save the UK cattle industry hundreds of millions of pounds annually.
What is Happening Right Now (February)
Right now, in late February, a silent crisis is unfolding at ground level.
As the days begin to lengthen and offer brief windows of milder weather, the first early-season dung beetles—such as the winter-active Aphodius prodromus—are emerging from their dormant state to seek out fresh droppings.
Simultaneously, this is the exact moment many UK farmers administer routine, calendar-based anthelmintic treatments (wormers, specifically avermectins and moxidectins) to their sheep and cattle before turning them out to spring grass. These powerful veterinary chemicals do not simply disappear inside the animal; they are excreted largely intact in the dung.
For up to four weeks after treatment, every dropping that hits the field is highly toxic. The very first meals the newly awakened February beetles find are laced with neurotoxins. The beetles are either killed outright or suffer sub-lethal effects that paralyze them or permanently destroy their reproductive systems. The crucial first generation of the spring workforce is exterminated before it can even begin to breed.
Why This Matters Ecologically
When we chemically silence the dung beetle, the entire meadow stalls.
Pastures begin to choke, with "fouling" removing up to 10% of available grazing land. Furthermore, dung beetles are the foundational protein source for some of the UK's most threatened and iconic wildlife. The rare Greater Horseshoe Bat relies heavily on large Geotrupes beetles, while farmland birds like the Chough and the Little Owl depend on Aphodius beetles to survive the early spring when other insects are scarce. To lose the recycler is to starve the predator.
Your Action
Targeted Worming: If you own horses, sheep, or cattle, move away from routine "blanket" worming. Adopt a targeted approach using Faecal Egg Counts (FEC) to only treat the specific animals that actually have a parasite burden.
Safe Turn-Out: If livestock must be treated with avermectins, keep them housed or on a designated "sacrifice" paddock for at least a week after treatment to prevent toxic dung from contaminating the wider spring pasture.
Support the Advocates: Follow and support initiatives like Dung Beetles for Farmers (DBfF), a UK group bridging the gap between agricultural productivity and invertebrate conservation.
The Verdict
Nothing is wasted in a living meadow.
Dung becomes beetles, and beetles become birds.
Remove the recyclers, and the cycle stalls.
Scientific references & evidence
Beynon, S. A., et al. (2015). The application of an ecosystem services framework to estimate the economic value of dung beetles to the U.K. cattle industry. Ecological Entomology. (Provides the economic valuations and outlines the ecological mechanics of dung burial, soil aeration, and fly suppression).
Wall, R., & Strong, L. (1987). Environmental consequences of treating cattle with the antiparasitic drug ivermectin. Nature. (The foundational study proving the lethal impact of avermectin residues in livestock dung on non-target dung beetles).
Dung Beetles for Farmers (DBfF). Farming for Dung Beetles. (UK-specific agricultural guidance on the phenology of native dung beetles, including winter/early spring species, and safe anthelmintic practices).
Hutton, S. A., & Giller, P. S. (2003). The effects of the intensification of agriculture on northern temperate dung beetle communities. Journal of Applied Ecology. (Discusses how chemical veterinary treatments homogenise and degrade pasture ecosystems).
