Is it time to re-think mastitis control in robot milked herds?

摘要

Atotal reliance on technology to detect mastitis in herds milked by robots is leading to the routine treatment of cows which may not have clinical mastitis and do not need treatment. The further likelihood that pre- and post-dipping techniques are inferior to the equivalent manual operation adds further risk to robotic systems. These warnings from Peter Edmondson, from the Shepton Veterinary Group, reflect his extensive consultancy experience in Aberdeenshire, described as the 'robot capital of Britain', and elsewhere. Speaking at the Bath and West Dairy Show, he said: "There should be no compromise on milking routine, yet you often find the opposite." Citing an average 4-8% of attachment failures leaving quarters unmilked and a teat cleaning success rate of just 67%, he said: "This means one teat, on average, will not be cleaned properly."