The Danish udder health campaign: our milk – a pure pleasure

Abstract

The Danish milk quality campaign was launched in May 2010. It consists of four main objectives. Geometric bulk tank somatic cell count (BTSCC) should be lower than 150,000 cells/ml, geometric total bacteria count (TBC) should be lower than 5,000 bacteria/ml, no antibiotic residues in bulk tank milk (BTM) and a national reduction in therapy for mastitis with 50% together with an increase in the use of dry cow therapy. The campaign has been initiated by Team Raw Milk Quality of the Cattle Federation, and will continue for a number of years. The associated advisers working in various fields of the campaign will report by means of a hand out being published and delivered every fortnight to all dairy farmers, and in monthly journals. All dairy farms had a BTM sample tested by PCR for 11 mastitis pathogens in the fourth quarter in 2009 and 2010. This annual testing will be continued. In July 2010 the regulations on dry cow therapy were changed. Testing by PCR on samples of the milk production recordings was accepted as proof of infection. Farmers, who wanted to have all cows tested, were given the opportunity to apply for an automatic selection of a milk sample for testing from all cows prior to dry off. Since august 2010, the Danish geometric BTSCC has dropped to historically low value. For all 2010, the average BTSCC was 231,500. Since October 2010, the BTSCC has been lower than 220,000 for more than 5 months. The number of registered cases of mastitis has dropped by approx. 25% since October 2010. Use of intramammary tubes in lactation was reduced by 10% in all 2010, and by 27% in the first quarter of 2011. Use of tubes in dry cow therapy increased in 2010 by 9%. Use of intramammary tubes containing third and fourth generation cephalosporins dropped in 2009 by 33% and again in 2010 by 31% following a recommendation to avoid these antibiotics.