Teagasc, Moorepark developed a new tool to improve milk quality standards, which comprises a series of video clips showing critical stages of the milking process. It also provides guidelines and recommendations for the production of high-quality milk.
This user-friendly tool provides valuable information on all aspects of quality milk production, such as TBC, SCC and residues. Specific topics addressed include milking management on small and large farms, farms with adequate labor (two-people milking), and those with some automation (automatic cluster removers and cluster flushing).
“A critical prerequisite for the manufacture of quality dairy products is to start with milk of the highest quality," said Bernadette O’Brien, Teagasc. "The milk quality criteria requested by milk processors and by customers generally are becoming more strict and rigorous. It is important that requests to milk producers for improved quality milk be accompanied by the necessary information required to produce such milk, particularly in light of new pressures from expansion of herds and the reality of reduced labour supply."
The tool will also benefit milk quality advisors, veterinarians and milking machine manufacturers.
