5 ways to build on improvements in udder health

Improved environmental management, protocols and breeding for udder health have combined to help lower mastitis rates and antibiotics use.

However, farmers could make bigger strides with improved recording of mastitis infections.

The National Milk Records (NMR) 500 Report (see box on udder health improvements) highlights a median mastitis incidence of 28 cases in every 100 cows in 2020 – a reduction of eight cases a year from 2016. Somatic cell counts (SCC) have also declined.

Vet Charlie Neale from Shepton Vets says mastitis rates have reduced across the industry in the past decade.

But a range in performance between farms underlines the scope for improvement on some dairy farms. Across his practice, the lowest incidence is 1.5 cases for every 100 cows while the highest is more than 100%.

See also: 4 ways a robotic dairy got mastitis under control

The NMR 500 Report sets a target of 18 cases for every 100, but Mr Neale is quick to highlight the need to set farm-specific targets. Many farms will be able to achieve far lower, he says.

For every case of mastitis, he advises recording cow ID, quarter affected, first case or repeat in that quarter, stage of lactation, any historic SCC issue and treatment and withdrawal periods.

To help drive down mastitis rates further, he suggests looking at five areas.

1. Milking cow environment

Farmers are now less accepting of dirty cows and more aware of cow comfort. This is one reason mastitis rates have declined. Passageways have also tended to get wider, helping cow cleanliness.

Top tips

• Maintain a comfortable place for cows to lie so they are not standing and making the beds dirty
• Maintain cubicle beds twice daily by removing any muck, raking over and applying new bedding
• If there is a big wave of slurry every time the automatic scrapers run, they’re not running frequently enough

© Kathy Horniblow

2. Dry cow environment

Use of teat sealants has reduced the incidence of mastitis in the dry period. However, the dry cow environment is one of the most variable areas Mr Neale sees on farm.

Top tips

• Avoid overstocking and provide a clean bedding environment
• Cow kept outside need to be loosely stocked and kept on clean, fresh pasture that’s rested regularly
• Aim for 11 cubicles for every 10 cows
• When on loose straw yards, provide 10sq m of lying space, straw up daily and clean out every other week

3. Milking routine

There’s much more diligence in the parlour, partly because of milk buyers’ requirements. Training and protocols have also improved.

Top tips

• Strip the fore milk at every milking. This is a legal requirement and should also help with mastitis prevention
• Use dedicated pre-milking and post-milking disinfectants. A pre-milking disinfectant should provide a rapid kill; a post-milking one should have long-term disinfection properties and good teat-conditioning qualities
• Attach the unit 60sec after stripping for optimal milk let-down. This may need to be 90-120sec on a three-times-a-day milking system
• Good milk let-down will help teat condition and vacuum stability, which can reduce mastitis risk

4. Drying-off technique

A big uptake of selective dry cow therapy has focused farmers’ attention on udder health and infusion technique at drying-off to avoid the introduction of bacteria.

Top tips

• Find a way to dry off cows that reduces the chance of contamination from tails or feet,
  for example, by using a rollover crush
• Wear a clean pair of gloves for each cow
• Disinfect front teats first (working front to back) and then infuse in the opposite order

5. Drying-off decisions

Top tips

• Work with your vet to set thresholds for when cows should receive a sealant but no antibiotics at drying-off. This will depend on bulk milk SCC, cow temperament, cow history and teat condition
• For example, a herd with a bulk milk SCC of >300,000 cells/ml will likely need to use antibiotics on most cows. If the bulk SCC is <100,000 cells/ml, antibiotics will rarely need to be used