CellCheck to tackle mastitis in June

CELLCHECK, the Animal Health Ireland-led national initiative on mastitis, will roll out autumn regional training sessions for service providers, (milking machine technicians, veterinary practitioners, advisors and consultants), and a pilot scheme involving several discussion groups will commence in June 2011.

This pilot will focus on delivering best science and practice to farmers, and maximising the adoption of these practices.

The pilot scheme will then be evaluated and refined in consultation with farmers, researchers and industry prior to the roll-out in 2012 of a coordinated national programme that will support Irish farmers in dealing with this costly problem.

CellCheck is focused on building awareness, setting standards, delivering best practice and building capacity. To help CellCheck achieve these goals, researchers and industry experts work together in technical and industry groups.

These groups of experts are collating existing national and international research on mastitis control.

They bring order and structure to the research. CellCheck is about refocusing existing knowledge and ensuring that these key messages are delivered to dairy farmers in a consistent manner, according to Animal Health Ireland CEO Joe O’Flaherty.