Credit: Biovision-Infonet
Good milk handling practices
Milk is the main product from a dairy enterprise, produced basically as food for human consumption. Milk is a very good media for bacterial and other micro-organisms development. Clean milk production results in milk that:
- Is safe for human consumption and free from disease causing micro-organisms
- Has a high keeping quality
- Has a high commercial value
- Can be transported over long distances
- Is a high quality base for processing, resulting in high quality products
Pre-milking
Restrain the cow. If the udder is clean or only some dry dirt is attached, clean it with a dry cloth, paper or fine wood shavings When the udder and the cow are dirty, wash udder, teats and flank of the animal with clean water preferably add a disinfectant. Wipe with a clean cloth (one piece per cow). Apply suitable milking salve on each teat. Check for mastitis with a strip cup or any other method. Dispose fore-milk. Isolate sick animals and milk them last (their milk should not be mixed with good milk).
Milking
- Do not excite the animals
- Regularize milking intervals
- Squeeze the teat and do not pull.
- Avoid incomplete milking
- Milking should be complete within 8-10 minutes
- Use a teat dip after milking and apply it in a proper way
Milk Handling
- Use a clean white muslin cloth for filtering immediately after milking
- Disinfect, wash and dry the filter cloth after use
- Weigh and record milk per cow
- Store the milk in cool and clean place
- Don’t store other materials such as chemicals close to the stored milk
- Deliver milk to the market as soon as possible
Utensils
Use seamless containers preferably aluminium or stainless steel
- Rinse excess milk with cold and clean water
- Scrub with a brush using hot water mixed with a soap or detergent
- Rinse with cold water and place the utensils to dry on a rack
- Store utensils in a safe, clean, well ventilated place
Milker’s Hygiene
- Be healthy and clean
- Maintain short finger nails and hair cut (ladies can cover their heads when milking as guard to falling hair)
- Don’t smoke during milking time
- Wear clean white overall and gumboots
Milking Environment
- Milk in a clean and non smelling place
- A shed can be permanent or movable, it should be cleaned after every milking
- Where possible provide a cement floor for ease of cleaning
- Water should drain easily and away from the shed
- Provide a clean feed trough, water trough and protected store
- Provide clean water