Unfortunately, in most of cases the milking process, milk stock and transportation are done very carelessly. Especially milking process, it is seen like an ordinary farm job and actually most of milking operators are unknowledgeable. Whereas, the future, economy and the health of your cows depends on milking hygiene. Milking operators must be trained and inspected, starting with washing hands, how to treat cows, what to carefully do in which phase and where to use which disinfectant.
What we see mostly is, these staff had never be taught about these subjects. Otherwise, mastitis will be out of control in the herd, very expensive milking machines will be broken and unfortunately company will dissatisfy the owner.
Please especially pay attention to milkers training and inspection.
PRELIMINARY INFORMATION
Today, due to increasing environmental problems and increased bacterial and viral diseases, food safety measures to protect animal health have become indispensable.
Healthy animal food can only be obtained from healthy animals, and the protection of the health of animals depends on healthy environmental conditions and proper hygiene and disinfection sanitation precautions.
The European Union emphasizes its importance; The term ‘food safety from the farm to the table’ is defined as a set of measures taken to eliminate physical, chemical, biological and all kinds of harm that may be present in the food.
Among the most important of animal foods, milk is an important nutrient containing more than 40 defined nutrients including high protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Because of that milk is a sensitive product and susceptible to harmful bacterias.
The quality of milk is determined by the dry matter content, fat content and number of somatic cells (body cell and bacterial presence). Low somatic cells in milk mean clean milk. Milk products from this kind of milk will be with more quality and will have longer shelf life.
It should be well known that the high number of somatic cells is not only a problem of the dairy industry, but a problem that closely concerns the milk producer.
The high number of somatic cells actually shows that the animal’s breast tissue was attacked by the microbes. Abnormal elevation of the number of somatic cells and presence of bacteria indicate the presence of mastitis, especially subclinical mastitis, which is not noticed from outside but causes serious loss of efficiency.
If your somatic cell count is low (below 100,000) then you are assured of your cows, mastitis is absent, and your milk is clean. If the somatic cell is high, a secret mastitis case lowers the efficiency of the milk and you are confronted with the danger of spreading of an infectious disease.
The vast majority of cases of mastitis occur as a result of the microbe invading the breast tissue through the nipple hole. Sometimes this happens during the dry-off, it sometimes occurs immediately after milking, sometimes before birth, sometimes during lactation, but it absolutely happens when there is no breast care or cleaning of milking equipment.
Breeding microflora in milk residues that accumulate in poorly cleaned milking heads causes mastitis during milking. Mastitis is an expensive, troublesome, and difficult disease.
Let’s not forget that about 30% of the cows that get disposed are due to mastitis.
Three basic rules need to be followed during milking;
– the stimulation of the breast to prepare the cow for milking
– Control of the breast and hygiene
– Cleaning and disinfection of the nipple and the milking machine
