As farmers and as a collective industry, if we truly want to capitalise on this opportunity to produce more milk, our goal must be to reduce the incidence of mastitis in Irish herds — both clinical cases and cows with a high somatic cell count (SCC). This will mean less infected quarters in the herd which, in turn, means more milk is produced, with more profit for everyone.

Much of the work of CellCheck in 2013 focused on building and rolling out the resources and training required to ensure that farmers have clear and consistent science-based advice and information on improving mastitis control within their own herds.

The key activity last year was the roll-out of CellCheck farmer workshops around the country. Ninety-five workshops were organised by CellCheck regional co-ordinators and delivered by teams of CellCheck-trained local service providers. These farm-based, practical workshops help farmers to understand the causes of mastitis and highlight the simple changes to be made to everyday milking routines and management that improve and maintain lower SCC levels in the herd.

Participation in a CellCheck farmer workshop was also identified as a requirement for completion of the DPD programme.

More than 300 service providers attended CellCheck training to become part of the multidisciplinary Farmer Workshop delivery teams in 2013. Their locations and contact details are available via a user-friendly interactive map on the CellCheck website.

While the science behind mastitis control is not new, the focus of the CellCheck programme has been to deliver these science-based messages in a new way, and in various formats, while ensuring consistency between all information channels.

The CellCheck farm guidelines for mastitis control are the cornerstone of information, and continue to be supported by short monthly articles in the Irish Farmers Journal and various AHI stakeholder newsletters.

In 2013, a series of short video clips were completed which focus on some of the key practices and routines that will improve udder health. These are available to view on the AHI and Teagasc websites.

The CostCheck mastitis cost-calculator allows farmers to see the financial benefits of lower SCC by quantifying the financial gain that can be achieved by reducing SCC from current levels to a given target level.

The new CellCheck Farm Summary Report, available to all farmers who are milk recording, gives a clear overview of how their herd is performing in the area of mastitis control. It shows if a herd is on, above or below target. It highlights the areas of excellence and directs the farmer towards areas that may need to be looked at in more detail.

Workshops

In 2014, CellCheck will continue to focus on the delivery of farmer workshops, in conjunction with processors, Teagasc and other service provider bodies.

Service provider training will also continue, with the development and delivery of advanced problem-solving training for service providers, to enable them to support farmers who require farm-specific investigations and action plans.

CellCheck will also be working closely with industry bodies such as DAFM and the processors, to ensure that farmers receive clear, strong signals as to the value of producing low SCC milk, both to the individual farmer and to the wider industry.

A key task for 2014 will be the identification of the current national SCC levels, including seasonal trends and distribution of herds and milk in various SCC ranges. This will allow the industry to set realistic targets for progress and make decisions on where resources should be directed.

A milk price league giving recognition to the various quality related payment systems (SCC-related bonuses and penalties) will also be developed. Recognition will be given to the 500 suppliers producing the lowest SCC milk nationally through the establishment of a CellCheck healthy udder award.

*Finola McCoy is a programme manager for CellCheck.