Mr Holliday, who farms at Dob- cross Hall, Carlisle, admits he has always struggled to maintain an acceptable cell count, but was alarmed to find that rolling average levels had risen sharply when he examined his milk quality report this May.

Following a standard equipment test, Mr Holliday brought in John Cook of the Carlisle-based Paragon Vet Group, who tested the system further using an Alfatronic Mark 1V vacuum line tester. It confirmed the suspicion that blocked pulsation filters were causing the problem.

Inspection

Unblocking the filters was a simple operation and within weeks cell counts started to decline, with latest figures showing a rolling average of 340, for his 180-cow black-and-white herd. Having previously relied on annual testing, Mr Holliday says he now plans to have the system inspected every six months.

"High cells counts don't just affect milk price, they also increase culling rates and incur additional vet bills," he comments. "Ideally, I would like the herd rolling average to come down to 160, to get the maximum price for my milk.

Source: fwi.co.uk