Cattle farming: milking, udder health and milk quality

In livestock farming, milking is the action repeated several times daily throughout the year, and it is at the same time the task where routines and hygiene have the greatest impact on both the animal's health and milk quality. A good milking routine is not just a technical detail — it is the very foundation for a healthy herd and stable milk production.

According to the industry's professional guidance, good and consistent milking routines are crucial for good milk quality. The routine should allow time for the cow to come into milk and must at the same time minimise the risk of transferring bacteria between animals.

• 01Clean and dry teats before milking reduce the risk of transferring bacteria to the milking system.
• 02Pre-treatment — for example stripping of the first streams and visual inspection of the milk — reveals early signs of udder inflammation.
• 03A fixed recognizable sequence and calm handling gives less stress and better milk letdown.
• 04Post-processing of pins (dipping) protects the duct against bacteria until it closes naturally again.

Udder inflammation (mastitis) is the most common disease in dairy cows and is one of the most important reasons animals leave the herd prematurely. Inflammation can develop from infection from other cows via the milking equipment or from infection from the animal's immediate environment, for example from dirty bedding or wet floors. Both prevention through hygiene and early detection of sick animals are crucial to keeping the incidence down.

The cell count — the number of white blood cells per millilitre of milk — is used as the central measure of a herd's udder health because the cell count rises when the udder is infected. According to Landbrugsinfo/SEGES the target in the Danish cattle sector is an average cell count of 150,000 while the actual national average has been somewhat higher. A low and stable cell count is therefore an important indicator of whether the herd's prevention and milking routines are working.

A large part of Danish and Nordic dairy herds milk today with automatic milking systems (AMS), also called milking robots. Here milk quality is continuously monitored by sensors that measure among other things cell count, conductivity and colour of milk from each individual udder quarter so that abnormal milk can be automatically sorted out and the farm manager gets an early signal of an animal that is developing udder inflammation.

Data from the milking robot are only useful if they are followed up in practice: animals with abnormal values must be checked, and repeated problems should be investigated further, possibly with the help of a veterinarian. Good udder health is therefore a balance between preventive hygiene in the barn, a consistent milking routine, and systematic use of the numbers that technology makes available.

“Milk quality is not created in the tank — it is created every time a teat is cleaned, a milking unit is attached, and a cow is handled calmly and consistently.”

— Professional guidance on milking and milk quality.