Tender loving care for cattle key to brothers’ dairy success

CATTLE dried with paper towels after every wash, twice daily dusting down and rubber mats underhoof – little wonder brothers Kevin and John Walsh were named Ireland’s top two dairy farmers for 2010 at the annual National Dairy Council (NDC) Quality in Citywest, Co Dublin, yesterday.

Stringent hygiene practices and good animal health were the key factors cited by judges who visited the brothers’ farm in Kilnafrehan West, near Dungarvan, Co Waterford.

All cows are washed before every milking and stripped to check for any clots in the milk. They are dried with paper towels, so there is no transfer from cow to cow and teats are sprayed after every milking.