Munster Bovine is to resume manual milk recording on Tuesday 5 May under very strict protocols.

The company temporarily suspended its manual milk recording on 19 March as it undertook a review of the protocols involved.

“Following a full risk assessment of how our recording is conducted on farm we have sourced high-grade PPE equipment (goggles, masks and gloves) which each of our milk recorders are now obliged to wear for the duration of every farm visit.

“We have also implemented a rigorous COVID-19 milk recorder protocol which every member of Munster Bovine’s milk recording team must adhere to,” the company has said.

Backlog

Munster Bovine has said it has a backlog of milk recordings to work through and in order to clear it, it is putting a scheduling system in place, with priority given to customers who have not completed a milk recording yet in 2020.

“Instead of calling the office to schedule your recording as you usually do, your recording date will be communicated to you by text over the coming days. Roughly 24 hours before your scheduled milk recording, your milk recorder will be in contact to plan your recording. Owing to these exceptional circumstances, and the backlog of recordings which we are trying to work through, we would appeal to you in so far as it is possible to accept the date that is provided.

“If you cannot accept the date offered, we would ask you to liaise directly with your milk recorder,” it said.

New protocols

For every farm visit, the manual milk recorder must compete the following protocols:

  • Complete their own personal health checklist before arriving on farm.
  • Call ahead to plan the milk recording with herdowner and discuss how physical distancing can be achieved.
  • Regularly and thoroughly clean hands.
  • Wear clean protective clothing and PPE equipment (goggles and mask).
  • Wear a new set of gloves for each farm visit.
  • Adhere to physical distancing guidelines – keeping a distance of 2m between themselves and the herdowner.

    • Munster is also asking farmers to assist their milk recorders with the following measures:

  • Before each milk recording every customer must complete a customer health checklist with their recorder over the phone.
  • Discuss and plan the milk recording with your milk recorder prior to their arrival on farm to ensure that the recording will be carried out in adherence to physical distancing guidelines, again over the phone.
  • Provide a fresh footbath for the milk recorder.
  • Provide handwashing facilities, a clean bucket of fresh water will suffice for the milk recorder, soap and paper towels – no cloth towels.
  • Provide a bag or bin for disposable gloves.
  • Inform your milk recorder if you or any members of your family have developed COVID-19 symptoms.
  • During the milking, keep three units/cups/clusters away from each other at all times.
  • If not possible alternate the person in the parlour, recorder takes samples after farmer has hung up clusters and call out cow numbers from a distance.
  • It is important that only one milker is present in the parlour during the recording.

    • Read more

    Milk recording down 20% due to COVID-19

    Potential for €30,000 in savings to be made on dairy farms