Antibiotic failures.

kiwi pom

Member
Location
canterbury NZ
I worked for one of the major Dairies. All testing was done in-house with about 5% sent off site for verification.

When you have 5 or 6 tankers unloading at once (into 1 or 2 silos) there's no time for pishing about waiting for samples to be retested before a tanker discharges.

All the lab staff were trained up by the company-there're not scientists or chemists by any stretch of the imagination. I wouldn't trust them to test my tea for milk and sugar, let alone decide on quality of a product I sell.. But they were better than the tanker drivers who do the on-farm sampling. External lorry wash was built without the recommended drainage (too expensive) so was usually flooded with dirty water-imagine the state of the tankers and the drivers getting in and out 7 or 8 times per shift.

Just ask your buyer if you can have a look around their labs -unannounced.

What do you mean, no time for a tanker to be retested?

Surely if its inhibs positive it's parked until cleared or otherwise?
 
I worked for one of the major Dairies. All testing was done in-house with about 5% sent off site for verification.

When you have 5 or 6 tankers unloading at once (into 1 or 2 silos) there's no time for pishing about waiting for samples to be retested before a tanker discharges.

All the lab staff were trained up by the company-there're not scientists or chemists by any stretch of the imagination. I wouldn't trust them to test my tea for milk and sugar, let alone decide on quality of a product I sell.. But they were better than the tanker drivers who do the on-farm sampling. External lorry wash was built without the recommended drainage (too expensive) so was usually flooded with dirty water-imagine the state of the tankers and the drivers getting in and out 7 or 8 times per shift.

Just ask your buyer if you can have a look around their labs -unannounced.
Out failed sample was flagged up the following morning on our NML test.
 
Location
East Mids
Only one main milker, Prince Pooper, I would be the other one. Our dairy has a policy that ANYONE milking the cows has to be milksure trained, we both are. We use tail tape and red paint on udder, milked into dump line or dump bucket.

Understanding cascade use is important especially if you don't test everything before it goes back in tank, with hold required may be longer than you think.

ALL cows that have had abs either dry cow or lactating tubes are Delvo tested on farm before going in the tank. We could also use the parlour software to flag it up but don't. Admittedly only 80-90 cows but we have not had an AB failure for years now (tempting fate there...).

Any failures are thoroughly investigated by the dairy, if farmer says there are no cows in milk withhold and they get a fail they have to take sample to dairy for testing before milk picked up.
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
Out failed sample was flagged up the following morning on our NML test.
funny you should say that, we had a failure, end of last week, none of our cows currently on a/bs, nor have been, for nearly 3 weeks, like above, passed quick test, and passed a pre sample, following day. We bought some cows, last week, delva test, as soon as heard, 1 marginal, we are awaiting to hear, what a/b it was, £60 test, through the vets. Be very interesting to see the result, vendor is adamant they did not tube her, their med book, and a/b type, might say otherwise ! If it doesn't, ..........................?
Only one main milker, Prince Pooper, I would be the other one. Our dairy has a policy that ANYONE milking the cows has to be milksure trained, we both are. We use tail tape and red paint on udder, milked into dump line or dump bucket.

Understanding cascade use is important especially if you don't test everything before it goes back in tank, with hold required may be longer than you think.
all a/b cows, plenty of red spray paint, and no relief milker.

ALL cows that have had abs either dry cow or lactating tubes are Delvo tested on farm before going in the tank. We could also use the parlour software to flag it up but don't. Admittedly only 80-90 cows but we have not had an AB failure for years now (tempting fate there...).

Any failures are thoroughly investigated by the dairy, if farmer says there are no cows in milk withhold and they get a fail they have to take sample to dairy for testing before milk picked up.
all fresh calvers delvo tested, a/b cows, as well, before back in tank, bought cow, was mid lactation, low cc.
 
Last edited:

TomB

Member
Location
Wiltshire
I know your question was aimed at Tom but I use these.


Red for AB
Yellow for a front quarter not to be milked
Blue for a back quarter not to be milked.
This and have also recently started the quarter straps as well to stop any problems.
 
Yeap. Has been for at least the
Last 2 seasons. One of the reasons why our AB usage has dropped off a cliff
Thinking about it. It came exactly at the time our vets began it’s a big push on reducing and eliminating the use of Third and fourth generation antibiotics. The importance of prevention rather than papering over the cracks with antibiotics became far more obvious.
 

Spudley

Member
Location
Pembrokeshire
We recently upgraded the control panels in our 15 year old Fullwood parlour, theoretically the cluster shouldn't be lowered if a treatment code has been put on, but FIL has managed to drop them by pressing the wash button 🙄. Apart from that, cows have tape, spray, parlour code, and we delvo test everything that's been treated before she goes back in.
 
Location
West Wales
Thinking about it. It came exactly at the time our vets began it’s a big push on reducing and eliminating the use of Third and fourth generation antibiotics. The importance of prevention rather than papering over the cracks with antibiotics became far more obvious.

is this why the increase in failures, ie people using less drugs with no or short milk withdrawal so more chances to get it wrong.
 

vantage

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Pembs
I know your question was aimed at Tom but I use these.


Red for AB
Yellow for a front quarter not to be milked
Blue for a back quarter not to be milked.
Do you find that they stay on well?
 

Sandpit Farm

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Derbyshire
I think a separate group of lame cows and AB cows is the key. The fact you have to milk them at the end and physically open a gate means you wouldn't forget the dump buckets. Red paint on udder and tail tape. Then a white board in the parlour and just one person responsible for moving cows out of the AB group. Also not using ABs 'off label'.... so many people overdose or miscalculate withdrawals.
 
I think a separate group of lame cows and AB cows is the key. The fact you have to milk them at the end and physically open a gate means you wouldn't forget the dump buckets. Red paint on udder and tail tape. Then a white board in the parlour and just one person responsible for moving cows out of the AB group. Also not using ABs 'off label'.... so many people overdose or miscalculate withdrawals.

The nice thing about a separate group is that you don't have to mess about with dump buckets, we just milk them last, making sure the pipe is no longer in the tank.
 

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