Here you'll find what to do if your milk may be contaminated, along with support options to help you test, manage the issue, and prevent future downgrades.
Summary:
Many treatments are used on-farm to take care of your herd and practice good husbandry. Treatments like teat spray and antibiotics (which we call inhibitory substances) inhibit the growth of bacteria in milk.
If inhibitory substances enter the Co-operative’s milk supply, they affect the quality of the products we make and could impact market access.
Downgrade support
If you think your milk may contain an inhibitory substance the first step is to secure your vat with an approved vat lock to prevent accidental collection.
If your milk has already been collected call 0800 65 65 68 immediately.
Organise a traceback
After securing your vat to prevent collection, contact the Farm Source Service Centre on 0800 65 65 68 to organise testing and get guidance on next steps. The team can help identify possible causes, advise on treatment management, and support you in preventing future issues through better systems, training, and record keeping.
A snapshot of what to look for:
- Treated cows not run in a separate herd, and/or treated cows not milked last following the inlet tap to the milk silo being changed to dump
- Use of test buckets or quarter milkers while the vat is still connected
- Incorrect use of veterinary medicines
- Insufficient/incorrect withholding times
- Accidental milking of cows within withholding period
- Not clearly identifying cows under treatment
- Insufficient training and information for staff or relief milkers
To prevent inhibitory substance downgrades
Check all treatments before you use them to be sure you’re giving the correct treatment to the correct animal. The wrong treatment can severely affect the withholding and effectiveness of the treatment
- Use M.R.S.T. Mark the cow, Record the cow, Separate the cow and then Treat the cow.
- Have a documented system of how treated cows are managed
- Train your staff so they are fully aware of all systems and processes involved in treating cows
- Keep treated animals separate from the milking herd and milk them last after you have disconnected the milk line from the vat
- Use all animal treatments and chemicals as per the label
- Follow all withholding times. We recommend that you add 24 hours onto all withholding times to be safe
- Always hot wash the milking plant after the treated cows have been milked • Keep all animal treatments in a locked cabinet
- Keep precise and permanent records of all treatments
- Check all treatments before you use them to be sure you’re giving the correct treatment to the correct animal.
- The wrong treatment can severely affect the withholding and effectiveness of the treatment
End of the season
Inhibitory substance downgrades are common at the end of the season because cows treated with Dry Cow Therapy (DCT) are often milked accidentally. To avoid downgrades during this time:
- Always follow the advice given by your veterinarian
- Follow the label instructions of the DCT treatment
- Treat cows with DCT after milking has finished and the delivery line has been disconnected, i.e. milk all the cows and then run them back through the dairy for treatment. Treatment should occur as soon as possible after milking
- Do not treat dry quarters with DCT
- Clearly mark DCT cows in a separate mob before treatment. This mark should be sufficient to identify the cow as treated for at least two weeks
- Record all details of treatments (date, cow ID, treatment type)
- If practical remove all DCT treated cows from the milking platform as soon as possible.