VIDEO: Tipperary teen finds method of spotting mastitis infection in milking parlour

A Tipperary student has found a way of identifying a mastitis infection in a dairy cow before the animal’s milk enters the bulk tank.

Jack O’Meara, 17, a fifth-year student at st Joseph’s College, Borrisoleigh, Co Tipperary, said the idea came to him when he got a job milking cows last summer.

He became aware about mastitis, a persistent inflammatory reaction of the udder tissue, and that cows suffering from the disease had an increased somatic cell count, an indicator of the quality of milk.