Parlour certificates being forged

MILKING MACHINE test certificates are being forged to allow some parlours to comply with the National Dairy Farm Assured Scheme and save producers the £130 static test fee, according to Genus Milking Systems‘ Mark Scrivens.

“Producers can get a certificate from people in the industry to pass their parlour. One operator in Yorks does them on the computer for £10,” says Mr Scrivens.

“Others have scanned their old Genus certificate and changed the date.”

In some cases, where Genus has tested a parlour and found faults, he says the producer has commissioned another company to pass the parlour for NDFAS purposes.

“Farmers have their backs to the wall but its false economy. Parlour testing isn‘t just for farm assurance purposes,” he points out.

“Testing and correcting your parlour reduces wear and tear on the cows and helps reduce mastitis levels.”

NDFAS executive officer Derek Kennedy says it is unaware of forgeries, but welcomes industry discussion if the system needs tightening up.

“We take this matter very seriously. Some people have to think of the longer term implications of not having their parlour tested on a regular basis.

“The machine needs to operate so it doesn’t compromise cow welfare,” he says.

Latest figures from Genus show that more than 60% of UK parlours fail to meet British and International Standards reflecting the lack of funds for re-investment on dairy farms.

This is only a slight improvement since the last survey eight years ago when 70% of machines failed, says Mr Scrivens.

Some 25% of machines failed on vacuum reserve levels which means a large number of parlours could have poor cleaning routines, therefore compromising milk hygiene.

Vet and mastitis specialist Peter Edmondson thinks there should be less reliance on static tests and more emphasis on what‘s happening during milking.

“Are the cows comfortable? Are they being milked out properly,” he says. 

“Many parlours meet the standards and still have problems, so we need to get away from looking at numbers and see how the machine interacts with the cow.”

Mr Edmondson advises producers to have parlours independently tested twice a year with one of these being a dynamic test, particularly when there is a mastitis or cell count problem.

“Get a third party such as a vet to assess the machine, as we can see things that machinery people can‘t.”