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1 Animal Epidemiology Research Unit, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) 63122 Saint Genès Champanelle, France
2 Etablissement Départemental de l’Elevage, BP 77, 56002 Vannes Cedex, France
Corresponding author: Michelle Chassagne; e-mail: chassa{at}clermont.inra.fr.
French dairy herds were selected on a national basis through the "Zero Mastitis Objective" Program (ZMP) to display hygiene and milking practices characterizing very low somatic cell score (SCS) herds. The herds selected were stratified in 2 groups. The first group (LOW) included 187 herds within the first 5 percentiles of herds regarding mean SCS for the 36 mo preceding ZMP (36-mo SCS). The second group (MED) included 117 herds within the 50 to 55th percentile of herds regarding 36-mo SCS. Mean milk SCS was 3.09 in the MED herds vs. 1.99 in the LOW herds, which corresponded to 265,000 and 135,000 cells/mL respectively. Moreover, LOW and MED herds did not change from one SCS category to another during ZMP. Potentially explanatory variables, collected by formally trained dairy management experts through observations from attendance at milking and farm visits, were analyzed using multistep logistic regression models. According to final model and expert observations, the probability for a herd to belong to the LOW group was maximized when: 1) winter cleanliness of dry cow shed was good; 2) use of teat spraying was carried out; and 3) California Mastitis Tests were performed at milking. Moreover, the herd probability of belonging to the MED group was maximized when: 1) air admission at teat cup attachment was observed during milking; 2) winter cleanliness of dry cow shed was poor; and 3) the milker spent time during milking to feed calves. Finally, the study highlighted milking and hygiene variables and attitudes appearing as key practices to control herd SCS through precise and safe milking and more attention paid to individual animals and cleanliness of dry cow shed.
Key Words: somatic cell score • expert assessment • dairy management • milking hygiene
Abbreviation key: 36-mo SCS = arithmetic mean of all monthly cow SCS values determined in a herd during the 36 mo preceding the study, CMT = California Mastitis Test, LOW = very low SCS herds, MED = medium SCS herds, ZMP = Zero Mastitis Objective Program
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