National SCC down by 50,000 in a decade
Ireland Austin Mcconnell, Tina Eric, Animal James And Chief Health Berkery, Mercial John Ceo, Fbd Fbd Health John Animal Michael Trust; Ireland; Champions); Insurance, Cahalan, O'brien Officer, (cellcheck Lynch, Chair, Chair, Kevin Martin,
Over the past decade, the national average bulk tank somatic cell count has reduced by almost 50,000 cells/ml, to an average of 190,000 cells/ml in 2023, attendees at the Animal Health Ireland (AHI) 11th annual CellCheck awards heard.
The awards, which took place at the Killashee Hotel, Naas, Co Kildare, aim to recognise the excellence achieved by Irish dairy farmers in herd health, specifically those that achieve a consistently low somatic cell count (SCC) in their dairy herds.
The CellCheck programme, coordinated by Animal Health Ireland, works with dairy farmers and their service providers to increase the awareness and capacity to manage and prevent mastitis in Irish herds. The aim of the programme is to achieve a healthier and more productive herd, which contributes to increased efficiency and profitability on farms.
This improvement in udder health in the national herd is helping to reduce antimicrobial usage, improve farm profitability and contribute towards reducing agri-emissions. According to AHI’s research, effective mastitis control can increase a dairy farmer's net profitability by at least 1cpl.
This year’s FBD-sponsored event saw 500 top-performing dairy farmers from across Ireland recognised for achieving the lowest weighted annual average SCC based on the previous year’s milk supply. On the night, one CellCheck Champion was identified from each of the 17 winning processors.
Speaking on the night, Animal Health Ireland chairman James Lynch said: “The CellCheck programme has helped to significantly reduce SCC across Ireland’s dairy herds, contributing to healthier herds and sustainably produced, high-quality milk. The aim of these awards is to celebrate the dairy farmers who achieve these excellent results on their farms, and to acknowledge the hard work that goes into achieving this success.”
CellCheck programme manager Finola McCoy added: “The farmers we’re recognising with these awards are real-life examples of how low somatic cell counts and effective herd health can be maintained by being brilliant at the basics. We are also continuing to see a reduction in the number of cows in this cohort receiving antibiotic dry cow therapy, as the implementation of selective dry cow therapy continues to grow. Our CellCheck Champions are setting a standard for all dairy farmers. It is encouraging to see all of our winners achieve SCC levels below 76,000 cells/mL, which is a significant accomplishment.”
