Tackling mastitis is all in the plan
All dairy farmers can recite the five-point plan (FPP), but only by actively addressing each area can mastitis levels truly be improved, says Mr Statham.
“There is rarely a thunderbolt solution to tackling mastitis; it is often simply a matter of tightening up management practices outlined by the five points.”
| 1 | Hygienic teat management | ||||
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The FPP recognises the necessity to maintain clean teats, both through hygienic teat preparation in the parlour and maintenance of the environment (to be covered in week five).
Key considerations:
Post-milking teat disinfection: This should be carried out as routine to prevent pathogens permanently colonising the udder. Apply disinfectant promptly after cluster removal while the teat end is still open and ensure the whole teat is covered.
Pre milking teat disinfection: This was not initially recommended in the FPP, but it should be added to the modern-day list. The process has many benefits including reducing bactoscan levels and tackling challenge from environmental pathogens.
| 2 | Prompt treatment of clinical mastitis | ||||
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Treating and recording all clinical cases as quickly as possible will ensure higher success rates.
Key considerations:
Treatment decisions: These should be made after establishing pathogen profiles through milk cultures. Use treatments in accordance with the recommended dose rates.
Good hygiene when administering tubes: When treating cows, wear gloves. Teats should be swabbed with cotton wool and methylated spirit before administering intra-mammary tubes. Tubes should only be partially inserted to avoid damaging the teat-end sphincter (the cow’s natural defence against mastitis infection).
| 3 | Dry cow therapy | ||||
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The dry period provides the best opportunity to clear existing infections and prevent new infection.
Key considerations:
Hygienic handling of teats: Always wear gloves. Best practice at drying off should involve using a methylated wipe to clean the teat, then a teat disinfectant, followed by another methylated wipe and then partial insertion of dry cow tubes, before disinfection again.
Selective dry cow therapy: Selecting cows for treatment with antibiotic tubes at drying off is best practice for responsible use of antimicrobials. Producers should discuss a farm-specific SCC threshold figure for dual treatment or use of teat-sealants alone.
| 4 | Culling chronically infected cows | ||||
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Chronically infected cows are not only a huge mastitis risk to the rest of the herd, but also reduce the amount of marketable milk and increase treatment costs, so selective culling is an important control strategy.
Key considerations:
Selecting cull cows: Be careful not to make a gut decision to cull in response to penalties from high bulk SCC readings. When doing so, and not addressing the root cause, the problem will just repeat itself.
Equally, repeated treatment of older cows or animals with obvious lumps in the udder will have reduced chance of success and create an unnecessary risk for the herd.
| 5 | Maintaining milking machines | ||||
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The milking machine plays a key role in the potential spread of mastitis pathogens and, as such, regular maintenance and static and dynamic testing is crucial. (More detail about the milking machine in week three)
Key considerations
Milk liners: Liners should be changed after 2500 milkings or every six months, whichever is sooner – a liner past its best will bring with it a higher mastitis risk.
Over milking: When ACRs are not working correctly, over milking can result in hyperkeratosis. However, over milking at the start of milking is just as important. This is where good prep-lag times come into play.
Addressing environmental pathogens
“However, although the FPP is the backbone to mastitis control, it is important not to be limited by it,” says Mr Statham.
“The FPP was originally formulated to tackle contagious pathogens, but mastitis has changed and now environmental mastitis has come to the fore. This is an area not tackled by the five points, so it is important to have an open minded approach to control.”
The DairyCo Mastitis Plan could be seen as a successor to the FPP, since it offers advice on tackling contagious and environmental pathogens. However, sitting down with your vet and prioritising areas for attention is still the ideal starting point for any mastitis management programme.
Case study: Graham Webster, Wildon Grange, North Yorkshire
The Five Point plan may have been in existence since the 1960s, but this makes it no less relevant to controlling mastitis, according to North Yorkshire dairy farm manager, Graham Webster.
“When you don’t stick to the Five Point Plan, you’ll soon get into trouble,” he says.
In fact close attention to the five points has allowed Mr Webster and his team at Wildon Grange, Coxwold, to reduce mastitis incidence from 25-30 cases a month to six-nine cases a month over two years in the herd of 270 Holsteins.
“We were spending far too much on mastitis treatment, but after a discussion with our vet Jonathan Statham, we were able to identify a number of areas for improvement.”
According to Mr Webster, implementing clear milking and treatment protocols have been the main reason for reduced mastitis incidence and a drop in SCC from 165,000 cells a ml to 108,000 cells a ml.
Milking routine
“Strict milking routine is critical. Everyone must do the same job, to the same standard. This has meant implementing “the Mexican four cow shuffle” where we work in batches of four cows during milking:”
• All cows are pre sprayed with an iodine disinfectant
• Cows are then managed in batches of four:
• An individual paper towel is used to wipe each cow’s teats
• Cows are then fore milked
• Clusters are attached 60-90 seconds after initial teat stimulation for maximum milk let down.
Prior to this, teats were sprayed, wiped and clusters attached, but timings were irregular. “Now it is drummed into everyone – including the relief milker – exactly what needs to be done. This means everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet and doing it right.”
Treatment
Treatment protocols are also outlined and implemented as soon as a cow shows the first sign of milk clotting.
“We have protocols in place for different levels of mastitis infection. In mild cases, intra-mammary tubes will be administered, but in more severe cases, when a cow is in discomfort, we will also treat with an anti-inflammatory injection.”
Mastitic cows are also housed in a separate straw yard and milked after the main herd.
“All cows with SCC of more than 300,000 cells a ml are identified with tail tape and their clusters dipped in peracetic acid after milking.”
In the future, a cluster back flush system will be installed and a hospital shed built to house mastitic cows, with the overall aim to reduce mastitis incidence to a consistent level of 6-7 cases a month.
Culling
Mastitis and Somatic Cell Count were the primary causes of culling before changes were implemented, now culling rate has dropped from 37% to 31% in line with improvements.
“The key is to tackle the source of the problem by implementing strict protocols,” stresses Mr Webster.
To maintain healthy, clean teats between milkings, the farm has also made significant changes to how cubicles are bedded up by moving from straw to sawdust and lime.
Clean teats
“We now bed up twice a day while cows are being milked, instead of three times a week, between milkings. This means we are using staff more efficiently and no longer disturbing cows.”
And according to Mr Webster, the cost of sawdust is far outweighed by the added benefits from reduced antibiotic use.
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