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Preventing Antibiotic Failures in Milk

Part 2: How to Prevent Antibiotic Milk Failures

Prepare a written plan

This should be done in consultation with your vet and milk purchaser and should include the points below.

Make sure everybody knows what do to

Communication is vital. ALL people who milk the cows or administer treatments should follow the same well-defined instructions.

Are all cows in the herd clearly identified?

Cows need to be easily and quickly identified in the parlour.

The same type of identification (e.g. freeze brands or large plastic ear tags) should be used for all cows.

New cows should be given an identification as soon as possible after arrival.

All medicines should be administered following instructions from your vet.

Always follow the directions on the label, box and data sheet for all medicines (unless specifically advised otherwise by your vet).

Take care to use the correct medicine for the correct disease.

Ensure the size of dose and method of administration (e.g. in the muscle or under the skin) are correct.

Ensure a suitably skilled operator administers the medicine.

There is a current requirement (under the National Dairy Farm Assurance Scheme) to have planned treatment protocols specified for the common diseases such as mastitis, lameness and metritis.

Clearly mark cow(s) under treatment

A distinctive mark that is clearly visible during the milking procedure (such as tape or spray applied to the legs or udder) should be used to identify cows under treatment, from which milk has to be withheld.

A reminder list on the parlour wall (e.g. blackboard) of treated cows is also useful. This must be kept up-to-date.

Milk should be withheld for the specified ‘withdrawal’ time whenever a medicine is used.

This applies to milk from all quarters.

If in any doubt about whether the milk is ready to re-enter the bulk supply, it is essential to carry out an antibiotic test. On farm kits are readily available for you to test for antibiotics in milk or if necessary your milk purchaser will be able to advise you on where a test can be carried out.

Treated cows should be milked with a separate dump line, milked last or units thoroughly rinsed with hot water after the treated cow is milked.

Butterfat on jars and tubes from treated cows is a particular problem because it often contains traces of antibiotic. It can be removed by flushing with hot water.

Make sure milk from cows under treatment cannot leak into or contaminate the main milking plant. This could be caused by faulty valves or accidental transfer of milk for example.

All treatments should be recorded in a medicines book.

Details should include cow (or group) identity, date, name of medicine, batch number, expiry date, size of dose, numbers of doses to be given (and time-span), total quantity of medicine used, method of administration, withdrawal period, date milk can re-enter bulk supply, identity of person responsible for giving the medicine and name and address of supplier.

Store medicines in a locked cabinet

This is important to prevent any possible mis-use of medicines that could be a threat to your milk supply.

Withhold and test the milk from cows whenever there is any reason to suspect antibiotics may be present, including cows who have calved early and those newly bought in.

Dry Cows

The dry cow therapy withdrawal must always be observed.

If cows calve early it is recommended that milk is tested for antibiotic residues. An alternative is to wait for the full specified withdrawal period.

Ensure dry cows are not accidentally milked. if housed with the milking herd, clear enduring identification is essential.

Take care with ‘off-label’ use

Always follow instructions for each medicine because this ensures withdrawal periods are safe. Medicines should only be used ‘off-label’ (outside manufacturers recommendations) in consultation with your vet, who will advise you of how much longer the milk withdrawal should be.

All cows treated with ‘off-label’ antibiotic regimes should have the milk tested before it is included in the bulk supply.

Never ignore any possible contamination of the milk supply with antibiotics

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