The Countdown Project
Mastitis lowers farm
profitability, reduces product quality and quantity, and potentially damages
exports and the image of milk. It has a "big picture" impact on our
whole Australian dairy industry, and it is also a daily concern for everyone who
milks cows or advises farmers about udder health or milk quality issues.
Mastitis control is
complex. Countdown offers a clear path forward.
Countdown Downunder was created
in 1998 to help farmers meet new quality standards, improve farm profitability
and protect export markets. By mid-2001, national cell counts were on the way
down and the project had engineered a change in the culture of many of the
people who professionally advise farmers on milk quality.
Four reports on
Countdown are available online:
Countdown
continues with a new set of training and industry development
objectives.
Why are cell counts an
industry issue?
Australia’s dairy industry is
worth more than $7 billion a year and contributes $2 billion to Australia’s
balance of trade. International expectations for milk quality are increasing
with new European standards. Since 1 January 1998, the European Economic
Commission has regarded milk or milk products made from raw cows’ milk with
cell counts above 400,000 cells/mL as unsuitable for human consumption
(Directive 92/46). Other importing customers are increasingly using this
standard.
Broadly speaking, the more
somatic cells in milk–the lower the quality. High cell counts interfere with
dairy product manufacture, and indicate poor quality processes on the farm.
Clinical mastitis cases on-farm can also cause substantial production losses.
All Australian milk must be below the 400,000 cells/mL threshold for Australia
to maintain its reputation as a supplier of quality milk products. Otherwise
dairy farmers will receive lower prices for their milk, and Australia may lose
exports.
In 1998 the Australian dairy
industry set national targets and established Countdown Downunder to help
Australia’s 12,888 dairy farms achieve these targets.
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For
more information on Countdown Downunder