Awards aimed at recognising the excellence achieved by Irish dairy farmers in herd health, specifically those that achieve a consistently low somatic cell count (SCC) in their dairy herds were celebrated by Animal Health Ireland (AHI) at its 11th annual CellCheck awards in the Killashee Hotel, Naas, Co. Kildare.
This year’s FBD-sponsored event saw 500 top-performing dairy farmers from across Ireland recognised for achieving the lowest weighted annual average SCC based on the previous year’s milk supply.
On the night, one CellCheck Champion was identified from each of the 17 winning processors, with Ray Bryan from Youghal named as winner.
PREVENTING MASTITIS
The CellCheck programme, coordinated by Animal Health Ireland, works with dairy farmers and their service providers, to increase the awareness and capacity to manage and prevent mastitis in Irish herds. The aim of the programme is to achieve a healthier and more productive herd, which contributes to increased efficiency and profitability on farms.
Over the past decade, the national average bulk tank SCC has reduced by almost 50,000 cells/mL, to an average of 190,000 cells/mL in 2023. This improvement in udder health in the national herd is helping to reduce antimicrobial usage, improve farm profitability and contribute towards reducing agri-emissions. According to AHI’s research, effective mastitis control can increase a dairy farmer’s net profitability by at least 1 cent per litre.
Speaking at the awards, CellCheck Programme Manager Finola McCoy said: “The farmers we’re recognising tonight with these awards are real life examples of how low somatic cell counts and effective herd health can be maintained by being brilliant at the basics. We are also continuing to see a reduction in the number of cows in this cohort receiving antibiotic dry cow therapy, as the implementation of selective dry cow therapy continues to grow.
“Our CellCheck Champions are setting a standard for all dairy farmers. It is encouraging to see all of our winners achieve SCC levels below 76,000 cells/mL, which is a significant accomplishment.”
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