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MAST I T I S CONTROL
SPRING 2014 ISSUE
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
18
‘
‘In almost every respect, things are easier,’
says Mr Wooldridge. ‘Calvings are easier,
there's almost no milk fever, milking is faster,
cows are under less metabolic stress and
they're far more likely to get in calf.
‘Profitability is far better too, with no yield
drop from mastitis, and antibiotic tube use
down by 70 per cent,’ he says.
‘Instead of spending money treating problems,
we are preventing them,’ adds James. ‘In fact
we've almost forgotten what to do when we
get a sick cow.’
As part of the plan, the parlour routine has
also changed which today includes drying
off the 9,000 litre herd at slightly lower
production and having a better routine for
the process.
‘Previously we would have just administered
dry cow therapy in the parlour during milking,
but there was so much going on that we were
not properly focused on the job,’ says James.
‘Now we bring the group back in after
the parlour has been washed, teat-dip
with surgical spirit, use a dry cow tube
where necessary and seal all the teats,’
he says.
Today, mastitis rates are running around 40
cases per 100 cows per year and as the
plan is reviewed, attention moves to new
areas that will further the downward trend.
This includes improved cleanliness and access
to drinking water, increased frequency of
scraping and improved gateways and farm
tracks using oolitic limestone.
‘Now we're finding it's the small things,’
says James. ‘Some seem really picky but if we
can do 100 small things better we can get
the incidence lower still and I can't see why
we couldn't achieve 20 cases per 100 cows
per year.
‘Whatever effort we have put in has given us
something back and that motivates us to keep
on going,’ he adds. ‘Once you start getting
the milk back it becomes a lot easier - they
calve in well and yield well so everything
becomes more interesting.’
From a vet’s perspective, Sean Hughes adds:
‘The plan has led the team into other areas
such as calf and colostrum management
which has given them better calves and better
replacement heifers.
‘The great thing about the plan is it provides
the evidence to point you in the right direction
and without it they may not have had the
confidence to invest in the shed and they
could have gone on for years and not
achieved improvement.
‘But this isn’t just about the plan,’ Sean insists.
‘These are highly motivated people who have
engaged and want to improve. That's why
there has been such dramatic improvement.’
The DairyCo Mastitis Control Plan
Stage
Process
On this farm
Stage one:
analysis and diagnosis
Milk records are used to analyse cell
counts. Initial and recurrent mastitis cases
are recorded and plotted graphically.
On Martin Wooldridge's farm, clinical
mastitis had risen to 120 cases/100
cows/year, with most cases shown to be
of dry period origin.
Stage three:
monitoring
The results of any actions are monitored on
an ongoing basis to ensure improvements are
made and sustained.
This herd has reduced mastitis cases to 40
cases/100 cows/year; a target of 20 cases
is considered realistic and antibiotic use has
been cut by 70 per cent.
Stage two:
the questionnaire
The farm's vet or consultant asks questions
and observes processes to complete the
questionnaire. Actions are identified which
must, should or could be undertaken.
Improvements made included a switch from
straw to sand for dry cow bedding; improved
dry cow nutrition; improved drying off routine
and limestone gateways and tracks. Cubicles
are being installed for dry cows.
You can check with your vet if your XLVets practice delivers the plan or
e-mail
mastitiscontrol@dairyco.ahbd.org.uk