Animal Health & Welfare

Whilst mastitis cannot be eliminated, it can be controlled, and if all herds were to meet target figures, then some of the £40 million of the associated economic losses could be recouped.

There are several management approaches that can be adopted by farmers to reduce the incidence of mastitis on their farm:

• Treatment - Due to the range of micro-organisms which can cause mastitis, correct identification of the bacteria responsible can be important for ensuring the success and cost-effectiveness of the treatments used. Specific treatment plans need to be considered in conjunction with the herd veterinarian, taking into account the main bacteria present on the farm.
• Reduce the reservoirs of infection - Mammary reservoirs are reduced by treatment, dry cow therapy and culling. Environmental reservoirs are reduced by improving the hygiene of the environment and the adaptation of the cow to that environment.
• Control the spread of infection by vectors - Potential vectors transferring infection from one cow to the next include: milking machine liners, hands, clothes and paper towels. Information on how to reduce the spread of infection from one cow to another can be found under the tab ‘An ideal milking routine’ found to the top left.
• Improve the resistance of the animals - Stress from any cause tends to reduce the ability of the immune system to combat infection. Avoidance of stress can have significant benefits for health, including mastitis incidence.
• Additionally, the incorporation of mastitis resistance in breeding programmes with broad breeding goals such as the Profitable Lifetime Index (£PLI) can reduce the incidence of mastitis. For more information on £PLI, please see the ‘Breeding for health and welfare’ section.

The five point plan

1. Hygiene during milking – use gloves, clean equipment and clean teats
2. Correct machine function – inappropriate vacuum and uneven wear of the liners of the teat cups can cause teat damage through which mastitis-causing organisms can enter 
3. Post-milking teat disinfection
4. Prompt identification and treatment of clinical cases and the culling of recurrent cases
5. Use of dry cow therapy

Further information can be found in a Defra booklet ‘Treatment and prevention of mastitis in dairy cows’ (PB4661)