Tools, knowledge and partnerships: get more out of udder health It’s a good idea that we all work on reducing the bulk milk cell count, because attention to udder health always pays off. For this reason, Royal GD, IVC Evidensia and Zoetis have been working together recently on a training programme for veterinarians. Using a structured approach, we got to work on diagnosing mastitis, and the results were positive. As every vet knows, the importance of udder health is beyond dispute. However, what do you do if the bulk milk cell count increases, either temporarily or structurally? IVC Evidensia, a group of veterinary practices and Zoetis, a veterinary pharmaceutical company, joined forces with Royal GD, and set up a training programme with the specific aim of answering this question. Unique strengths The three partners were able to deploy their unique strengths to achieve a common goal; improve udder health. Zoetis relied on its various tools for treatment and advising veterinary practices, IVC Evidensia used its knowledge and experience from veterinary practices and livestock farmers, while GD exploited its knowledge and applied diagnostics, scientific expertise and research into udder health. During the training programme, vets were given specific practical tools to help them get to work on udder health. This wasn’t because the vets were lacking in knowledge, it was simply to make sure they could use their knowledge as effectively as possible, according to Otlis Sampimon, udder health specialist at Zoetis. “Basically a knowledge upgrade, putting them in an even better position to help farmers lower their bulk milk cell counts.”
6 - Update, April 2022
The path to reducing the bulk milk cell count Ten vets from ten different IVC Evidensia practices attended five sessions. During these sessions, they discussed their own findings under the supervision of expert coaches. The goal? To help all 45 participating dairy farmers with a bulk milk cell count above 200,000 cells/ml get this number below 200,000 cells/ml during a 12-month programme.
