21 Jun 2017
Back in the 1960’s the Five Point Plan was introduced to the dairy industry – a set of simple guidelines which gave a co-ordinated approach to controlling mastitis. It included the recommendation for the blanket use of antibiotics at drying off.
But today, the farm environment and the management practices on most dairy farms are very different. Cows are housed in cleaner conditions, the advent of teat sealants has enabled protective cover to be given against infections arising in the dry period, and parlour routines may now include teat-dipping and flushing clusters, plus a more proactive culling of high cell count cows is often taken….
