Norwegian mastitis control programme

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Public Health
• Animal Husbandry
• Dairy Science

Background:

• The Norwegian Mastitis Control Program, established in 1982 and integrated into the Norwegian Cattle Health Services (NCHS) since 1995, aims to enhance udder health.
• Key objectives include lowering bulk milk somatic cell count (BMSCC), reducing antibiotic usage, minimizing herd-level mastitis costs, and improving consumer perception of milk.
• A national directive in 1996 mandated a 25% reduction in antibiotic use across animal production within five years.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the Norwegian Mastitis Control Program in improving dairy herd udder health and reducing economic losses.
• To assess the impact of the program on antibiotic consumption and somatic cell counts in bulk milk.
• To analyze the long-term trends and contributing factors to mastitis reduction in Norwegian dairy cattle.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Norwegian Cattle Herd Recording System (NCHRS), incorporating health records (since 1975) and somatic cell count (SCC) data (since 1980).
• Integrated mastitis laboratory data into NCHRS since 2000, with regular dissemination of clinical disease, SCC, and bacteriology findings to farmers and advisors.
• Implemented updated mastitis treatment recommendations in 1996, emphasizing optimal milking protocols and milking machine maintenance, alongside a selective dry cow therapy program (SDCTP) initiated in 2006.

Main Results:

• Achieved a 60% reduction in clinical mastitis treatment between 1994 and 2007.
• Reduced BMSCC from 250,000 cells/ml to 114,000 cells/ml.
• Lowered the overall cost of mastitis from 0.23 NOK to 0.13 NOK per litre of milk, representing a decrease from 9.2% to 1.7% of the milk price.

Conclusions:

• The Norwegian Mastitis Control Program has successfully reduced mastitis incidence, treatment costs, and antibiotic use in dairy herds.
• The program's success is attributed to a combination of strategic interventions, including improved management practices, selective dry cow therapy, and herd health initiatives.
• Eradication of bovine virus diarrhoea virus (BVDV) and enhanced implementation of mastitis prevention programs also contributed significantly to the observed improvements.