If ten points are no longer sufficient: an observational study on factors related to udder health and milk quality in Flanders, Belgium

In Flanders, a shift of the distribution of mastitis pathogens towards coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) and coliforms has been observed and this may be the cause of the recent problems of increasing bulk milk somatic cell counts and/or decreasing milk quality. Ten randomly selected cows are monitored during one year on 6 Flemish dairy herds. For comparison, three farms with and three without specific coliform problems are included in the study. Milk samples are cultured for presence of mastitis bacteria and somatic cell counts are measured. Monthly climate variations (temperature, humidity, gas concentrations, dust) are investigated with innovative techniques. At the cow level, zootechnical information is complemented with recording of cleanliness, body condition, gait and milking characteristics, and at the quarter level teat conformation, teat apex condition and teat cleanliness are observed with recently developed digital image-analysis technology. These monthly observations will contribute to the clarification of the complex relationships between different factors explaining the mastitis status of cows and quarters and its evolution over time