Livestock Health
Industry knowledge and research data.
Milking Equipment
Milking parlours may have become larger and more automated, but the principles of plant cleaning have remained largely unaltered since the development of milking parlours. Effective plant cleaning relies on an adequate volume of water, at the right temperature with the correct concentration of sanitising chemicals.
Blanket Dry Cow Therapy (BDCT) has been widely practiced in the UK dairy industry (and the world) since the adoption of the NIRD 5 Point Plan in the late 1960’s. It has been proven to have benefited udder health and the control of mastitis, especially contagious pathogens. However, pressure is now mounting for the dairy industry to reduce the amount of antibiotics used in milk production.
Individual cow milk samples can be tested for cell count, butterfat and protein. Some herds carry out milk progesterone testing. In addition, some laboratories can carry out tests on Johne’s Disease, which causes a wasting disease in dairy cows and is invariably terminal, and in the future PCR testing for individual bacteria might become available with regular testing.
