Recently within the student led CREAM project at Greenmount Campus CAFRE, the students organised the screen testing of all cows with persistently high somatic cell counts by the Campus vet, Brian McCauley. This enabled the identification of the specific bacteria causing the immune response within each udder quarter. Brian instructed the students during the sampling procedure on how to aseptically remove a milk sample to ensure minimal contamination. The analytical technique, carried out by DARD’s Veterinary Sciences Division (Stormont), can assist farmers in identifying what problems are present and treatment methods available within their dairy herds. It has been recognized that this procedure can be beneficial to farmers as it can identify specific bacteria, which will help the farmer use the most effective form of treatment. It will also help to reduce penalties that can incur as a result of high SCC within the milk. The students endeavour to use the milk sampling technique demonstrated to them by Brian McCauley prior to the treatment of all mastitis cases in the herd to enable them to be treated as specifically as possible.

The students taking part in the CREAM project have established that the main problem cow within the herd is Supreme Anne Marie. This cow is currently on her ninth lactation. The cows total SCC was 3,128,000 cells, however we have established that the bulk of this problem lies within her left hind quarter which contributes 2,608,000 cells. This allows the students to now create an action plan to deal with treatment of this and any other cows recording high SCC in the future.