Milking hygiene: new issues and opportunities from automatic milking

Abstract

Automatic milking offers the opportunity of in-line measurements of milk components, check of milking and cleaning procedures, and surveillance through the management program. These advantages may directly benefit the milk quality. Diversion of abnormal milk at time of milking is critical to the milk quality. It is proposed to define abnormal milk as milk being visibly changed in homogeneity or colour from that of normal milk. Several enzymes and other milk components may be involved in the formation of clots in the milk. Based on reported changes in primarily the milk protein fraction as a response to infection of the mammary gland, different explanations for the generation of precipitates in mastitis milk are discussed. Automatic milking systems (AMS) should have sensors to monitor and divert abnormal milk. The management system of AMS provides an excellent opportunity to introduce Hazard Analyses Critical Control Points (HACCP) systems for surveying the milk quality. HACCP-based proposals are given for avoiding contamination of the bulk milk with milk from cows with clinical mastitis and for ensuring a low bulk milk bacterial count.