The New Zealand company Farm Medix developed a diagnostic tool named ‘Snapshot’ back in 2015 to identify pathogens in bulk milk tanks. They quickly recognised this enabled them to better determine the root causes of mastitis infections at farm level, says Farm Medix chief executive, Foucauld Thery.
He explains that clinical mastitis is more a symptom than an illness. To fix the issue farmers need the whole picture. A study published in 2017 by The Journal of Dairy Science has highlighted that 70% of clinical mastitis cases do not require treatment. Process changes like equipment settings, teat care active ingredients, milking procedures are among the areas than can make the difference. If you know where to look, farmers can find quick and cheap fixes says Natasha Maguire, Farm Medix chief scientific officer. The doubling of ‘Snapshot,’ activity this year proves the effectiveness of this comprehensive approach to mastitis treatment.
Maguire says, to optimise impact, mastitis treatment must be adapted to pathogens. The usual suspects like strep.uberis, Staph. Aureus, E.Coli are bacteria that require specific approaches. Also, alfae like prototheca, or a fungi like candida are not cured by antibiotics. All of them are proven sources of high SCC levels. Maguire says somatic cell count measures are an immune response and therefore can’t be relied on for treatment decisions.
Side by side analysis of SCC based on interventions and systematic identification of pathogens made by Farm Medix confirms a gap. We have developed long term partnerships with farmers to proactively monitor and reduce their mastitis on farm. This approach to a number one problem for dairy farmers has seen Farm Medix win multiple awards at the Food and Agricultural Science awards.
