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Mastitis Control Plan
A proven, structured, evidence-based and wide-ranging approach to mastitis prevention and control in dairy cattle.
The Mastitis Control Plan:
- Creates an achievable set of action points to tackle clinical mastitis and high somatic cell counts, which are relevant to your farm
- Uses trained Mastitis Control Plan Deliverers to analyse on-farm data and diagnose the source of infection on your farm
- Looks at all aspects of your farm to give a thorough, structured approach to mastitis prevention and control
The plan helps lower clinical mastitis and high cell count incidence, reduce the costs of mastitis and antibiotic usage on your farm.
Treating each case of mastitis can cost between £250 and £300 on average due to vet costs, reduction is yeilds and loss of milk, but costs vary for mild and severe cases.
Research showed that those who fully follow the mastitis control plan saw a 36% reduction in mastitis.
Step 1: Farm data
- The Plan Deliverer will review your milk recording data and clinical mastitis data for at least the last year
- They will analyse the data to understand the source of the majority of infections - dry period, lactating period, the environment or spread from other infected cows
Step 2: Farm visit
- The Plan Deliver will undertake an on-farm questionnaire and survey, as well as examining:
• Cow housing, including dry cows and heifers
• Milking parlour function and milking routine
• Management of the dry period
• Treatment of mastitis
• Other areas such as biosecurity and youngstock management
Step 3: Action plan
- A plan of action will be decided together and a date for review will be agreed, usually three months from the first visit
- Action points will be prioritised into ‘must’, ‘should’ and ‘could’ categories and those which have the biggest impact
Get started with the mastitis control plan
The Mastitis Control Plan is a cost-effective solution to mastitis prevention, supporting good animal welfare and the image of dairy farming.
John Whitby explains how the Mastitis Control Plan worked for his farm
Related links and publications
Mastitis
Our tools and resources to help you manage mastitis on your farm