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The DMCP is a new initiative which initially seeks
to diagnose the causes of mastitis by looking at the
patterns of incidence in the herd, and is backed up
by bacteriology. This is followed by a comprehensive
questionnaire which leads to an action plan based on
best practice. A pilot study of this plan showed that
if farmers carried out over two thirds of the action
plan, they reduced their mastitis rate by 35% in twelve
months.
Despite the development of new medicines to treat mastitis,
it remains at a high level. Nationally a quarter of
herds have a mastitis rate of over 100 cases per 100
cows per year. This is a huge financial drain to the
dairy industry and a substantial welfare concern.
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