Milking routines and prevalence of mastitis in dairy farms in Tajikistan

Sammanfattning: Tajikistan is the poorest of the former Soviet Union countries. Agriculture is important for the livelihood of the rural population and so is the dairy industry. In recent years, investment has been made in the dairy industry and by identifying areas of improvement, the economy of the country could be improved. The purpose of this study was to observe milking routines and to investigate the prevalence of mastitis in large dairy farms in the region around the capital city. Eleven farms were visited in four different regions surrounding the capital, Dushanbe, and 281 cows were examined. The farms were visited during one milking where the routines were observed and noted in a protocol. Individual milk samples were collected and somatic cell count in the milk was determined by the California Mastitis Test (CMT). Cows with CMT three or higher had a plain clinical exam and questions regarding lactation number, lactation stage, amount of milk and known diseases were made. The results of the study showed that only a few of the internationally recommended milking routines were applied. Out of seven routines that are identified as positive for production, udder health and milk quality, seven farms used two or less. All farms cleaned the udder and/or the teats in some way but none inspected the milk visually before milking. Regarding the mastitis results, almost 60% of the cows had mastitis and the prevalence was 35% on quarter level. No clear pattern was seen between milking routines and mastitis prevalence, but it should be noticed that the number of farms were too small to do statistical analyses. There is a need for further studies regarding milking routines, milking technique, management, handling of the milk after milking and transport and processing of the milk to identify areas of improvement. Recommendations that would be possible to give to the farmers after this study regarding milking routines are: proper hand wash, visual inspection of the milk and drying of the teats as well as education in milking techniques and management.