Avoiding the cull – Alltech offers a solution in the fight against Somatic Cell counts
Culling cows for high somatic cell count (SCC) or persistent intramammary infections is still one of the main causes of healthy cows leaving the UK dairy herd today – and the situation shows no signs of improving.
According to the 2009 National Milk Records cases of SCC are still rising and the average number of clinical cases of mastitis is now over 25 cases per 100 cows. This is a tremendous burden on individual farmers and on the UK industry as each case is estimated to cost in the region of 170 when you add up all the factors such as vetinerary bills, medication, waste milk management time and increased culling rates.
Cases of mastitis typically manifest themselves within 30 to 60 days post-calving. This can be an indication of infection at or in the dry period or when the immune system is suppressed at calving. Even though most farmers continue to be vigilant it is clear that the current practices are breaking down, and not everybody is able to use barrier treat sealants owing to the requirements of certain cheese producers. The problem also increases during the summer months when SCCs are at their highest.
Graeme Smith, Technical Sales Manager for the leading animal health and nutrition company Alltech, comments: Somatic cell counts are a problem many farmers are currently facing, and they are probably wondering what could they do differently.
One way of combating intramammary infections is by supplementing the diets of cows with organic trace minerals such as Bioplex, which has been shown to be a valuable tool in the fight against SCC.
Bioplex, which is manufactured by Alltech, has been shown to reduce the incidence of both mastitis and cell counts. Zinc is required in over 200 immune functions and copper is required to help combat infections. The positive effects of selenium on the immune system are also widely regarded. Replacing all the inorganic poorly absorbed zinc, copper, manganese and selenium with organic sources is a simple measure that all farmers can do today to safeguard the future health of their herd tomorrow.
Alltech is one of the leading animal health and nutrition companies in the world. It is committed to providing natural solutions to meet the needs of the animal production industry worldwide and also to ensuring that it adheres to the pioneering ACE Principle deliver performance for the Animal, beneficial for the Consumer and natural and safe for the Environment. For more information please contact Alltech on freephone 0800 1078066.
Alltechs Bioplex range of organic trace minerals provide trace mineral nutrition in a form as close to nature as possible. Supported by more than 18 years of research, Bioplex Trace Minerals are better able to meet the higher nutrient needs of modern livestock for rapid growth, maximum reproductive efficiency and animal health. Alltech is currently the worlds largest producer of organic trace minerals for livestock, with three state-of-the-art production facilities around the world. Q+ (Quality Plus), the mineral quality control programme unique to Bioplex Trace Minerals, sets the industry standard, enabling Alltech to offer a global quality guarantee to customers using Bioplex Trace Minerals in over 85 countries around the world.