Essential Hygiene Practices for Dairy Farm Milk Production

Ensuring the water supply on dairy farms is potable and strategically located is crucial to prevent contamination from animals or human waste. Access to clean water is vital for the health of the livestock and the safety of the milk produced. Dairy farms without access to public sewerage systems must use septic tanks or cesspools to manage human waste and floor washings from milk handling areas, safeguarding against environmental contamination.

Manure management is another critical aspect of maintaining hygiene on dairy farms. Allowing manure to accumulate near milk handling areas can lead to contamination and attract pests. The best practice is to spread manure in thin layers on pastures, which not only prevents accumulation but also enriches the soil.

Fly control in milk-handling areas is essential to prevent contamination and ensure a hygienic environment. Flytraps with entrapment liquids, poisons like formaldehyde, or electric fly killers are effective methods to reduce the fly population. Additionally, controlling other insects, such as cockroaches, often requires the use of approved insecticides, ensuring these pests do not compromise the cleanliness of the area.

Maintaining the cleanliness of the milking area is non-negotiable. The walls and floors should be kept clean, and the room must be well-ventilated and free from dust to ensure a sanitary environment. Personnel handling milk should have no history of intestinal disease to prevent the potential transmission of pathogens.

Facilities such as flush toilets, which should not open directly into milking areas, are necessary for personnel. Additionally, hand washing and sanitizing facilities must be available nearby to ensure milk handlers can clean and sanitize their hands effectively. Before starting the milking process, the milker or milking attendant must have thoroughly cleaned, sanitized, and dried their hands to maintain the highest standards of milk hygiene.

By implementing these practices, dairy farms can ensure a safe and hygienic environment for milk production, safeguarding public health and ensuring high-quality dairy products.
Essential Hygiene Practices for Dairy Farm Milk Production

Ensuring Milk Safety: From Farm to Plant Hygiene

Ensuring the cleanliness and safety of milk from farm to processing plant involves meticulous procedures to minimize bacterial contamination. While some bacteria reside naturally in a cow's udder, they typically do not pose a significant risk unless the udder is infected. The main sources of microbial contamination in milk production extend beyond the udder to include the cow's body, milking equipment, barn air, and even the personnel involved in milking.

To mitigate bacterial presence in raw milk, stringent measures are crucial. Prior to milking, cows undergo thorough washing and sanitization of their flanks, udders, and teats. Large dairy farms often employ dedicated wash pens for this purpose. Milking equipment and utensils must be meticulously cleaned and disinfected using methods such as steam or chlorine solutions, ensuring a chlorine concentration of approximately 200 ppm for effective sanitation.

Upon collection, bulk milk tanks are subjected to rigorous cleaning processes. Manual cleaning involves washing with hot water and detergent, followed by sanitization using chlorine solutions. Alternatively, mechanical cleaning at higher temperatures enhances effectiveness, followed by the same chlorine sanitation protocol. Manual cleaning of tank outlets and exteriors is also essential to prevent external contamination.

Advanced cleaning techniques like Cleaning in Place (CIP) further streamline hygiene procedures. CIP systems utilize vacuum or pressure to automate cleaning, sanitizing, and rinsing of pipelines and bulk milk tanks, ensuring thorough sanitation without disassembly.

In summary, safeguarding milk quality hinges on comprehensive hygiene practices throughout the milk production and processing chain. By addressing potential sources of microbial contamination—from the cow's udder to milking equipment and storage tanks—producers uphold stringent standards that preserve the safety and integrity of milk destined for consumer consumption. These protocols not only adhere to regulatory requirements but also uphold consumer confidence in the quality and safety of dairy products.
Ensuring Milk Safety: From Farm to Plant Hygiene

Raw Milk Microbiological Characteristics

Raw Milk Microbiological Characteristics
The microbial content of milk is a major feature in determining its quality. It indicates the hygiene level during milking, i.e., cleanliness of the milking utensils, proper storage and transport as well as the wholesomeness of the udder of the individual cow.

Microbial levels of milk immediately after leaving the udder are in the range of 100 – 1000 germs per cubic cm. The environment (air, feed) contributes about 10,000 germs and the post milking installations (insufficiently cleaned milking installations, tanks, pipelines, transport facilities) can contribute ten thousand to millions of germs.

If the milking temperature would be maintained, then there will a doubling the germ count within 20 0- 40 min.

In milk normally find mostly acid-producing streptococci (spherical bacteria, growing in chains) and lactobacilli (rod-shaped lactic acid bacteria). Further will find micrococci, coliform bacteria as well as spore forming bacilli and clostridia (mainly due to contamination from silage). Due to the chilled storage of milk at 2–4 degree C, very often psychotropic forms appear, and they can cause negative changes in milk (sensorial defects, chemical degradation) due to propagation and metabolism. Storage temperature of 8–1 degree C recommended.
Raw Milk Microbiological Characteristics