1 300 CTC CTC
Deep bedding management and mastitis Conferences
In January 2016 HIPRA Benelux organized 3 meetings for ruminant vets about the different aspects of mastitis with emphasis on environmental bacteria. The speaker in this meeting was Andrew Bradley, veterinary and researcher with focus on milk quality and mastitis.
These udder health meetings, with the title “deep bedding management and mastitis”, were organized two times in the Netherlands (Zwolle and Tiel) and one time in Belgium (Herentals). Bradly his presentation was divided into two parts.
The first session with the title ‘Environmental Mastitis – Monitoring, Measuring and Control’ was about how we ‘diagnose’ and investigate environmental mastitis and our current knowledge about control – environment control, pre-dipping and vaccination. Clinical mastitis cases are divided roughly into two periods, those around and from the dry cow period and those from the lactation period. When most of the mastitis cases are in early lactation, first month(s), we can direct our focus towards the dry cow period. Monitoring of sub-clinical mastitis is mostly done, looking at SCC of the individual cow. It is always important to combine data of clinical and sub-clinical mastitis, this way we will be able to identify the source of the problems with more certainty.
The second session was focused on research on bedding materials. Especially separated manure was highlighted, because the use of this bedding material has increased in the Netherlands over the last years. The goal of Bradley’s research was to compare different bedding materials and find out advantages and disadvantages in relation to mastitis. During this session sand, saw dust and separated manure were discussed as bedding material. It has become clear, that further research is needed to have more insight in possible mastitis related matters.
