Vaccination on the agenda at mastitis talks
Vaccination was on the agenda of the recent annual British Mastitis Conference, writes John Sumner is secretary of Shropshire Chamber of Agriculture, writes John Sumner, secretary of Shropshire Chamber of Agriculture.
Judging by the size of the audience and in particular the number of vets present, mastitis and its control remains high on the list of dairy farming animal heath priorities.
Mastitis is widely recognised as the most costly disease of dairy production although it was evident from the day's discussions, the magnitude of losses varies enormously between farms.
The interest in vaccination as part of a control routine is being driven not just by the high economic cost of mastitis to the dairy industry, but also by a growing awareness by government and consumers of the potential risk of antimicrobial resistance impact on human health. As one vet speaker pointed out, there is an urgent need to reduce the reliance on antibiotics in food production.
Vaccination, as a tool in mastitis control, is in its infancy but it was emphasised that it is just one part of a joined-up approach to mastitis control. It was pointed out that mastitis treatment accounts for the largest proportion of antibiotic drug use in the dairy industry. Partly as a result, there is a growing interest in selective dry cow therapy.
However, it was emphasised that the decision to adopt the technique should be based on wide range of herd information including somatic cell counts, clinical mastitis case rate and knowledge of the predominant mastitis pathogens on the farm, and (I suggest) in discussion with the farm vet.
One of the other topics discussed was the progress made in the development of recycled manure solids (RMS) used for bedding cattle. There is apparently an increasing interest in the practice by dairy farmers, especially in the UK.
Understandably there are concerns over the potential risks associated with udder health and milk quality and, it seems, there is a need for more research work to fully understand the animal health implications. However, in order to minimise the disease risks associated with the use of RMS as cattle bedding, best practice guidelines have been drawn up by the UK dairy industry and incorporated into the Red Tractor Farm Assurance Scheme.
Over the last few decades, I have sat through numerous mastitis conferences and each time been impressed by new technologies and approaches to treatment and control, yet the disease continues to present serious challenges.
