Thermoduric bacteria levels often climb at this time of the year, as environmental conditions change and the herd's routine changes between grazing and housing.

The heat resistant bacteria is able to survive the pasteurisation process.

It can have significant implications on the quality and type of products that can be produced from milk, as well as having an impact on the milk cheque.

Thermoduric bacteria is typically found in dung, soil, and animal bedding, and can enter the milking equipment through dirty teats at milking time.

The most effective way of reducing the number of thermoduric bacteria is to limit the bacteria at farm level through good herd management and hygiene practices.

Thermoduric bacteria

The risk of higher thermoduric readings increases late in autumn and rolling into winter as the changing conditions make it harder to keep up good hygiene practices.

Management practices used to prevent the bacteria are much the same as those used to prevent somatic cell counts (SCC) or total bacteria counts (TBC) from rising.

The main thing which is common across all three is keeping the cow's environment clean, particularly yards, roadways, cubicle and housing, as well as the parlour.

The parlour needs the most care. Liners and rubber-ware in the parlour need to be changed regularly and ideally before any deterioration begins.

It is always recommended to change the liners after 2,000 milkings or six months, whichever comes first.

Even if the liners were changed during the summer, it is good practice to regularly check inside them to ensure they are smooth rather than rough and cracked.

Milking machine

Another management tip for reducing thermoduric bacteria is descaling the milking machine regularly at least once a week.

You should check the milking machine and bulk tank after cleaning to make sure there is no visible residue.

The parlour should be washed out with hot water; 75°-80°C should be a sufficient temperature.

Farmers need to ensure they are using a clean filter sock during washing and remember to disinfect the milking machine with paracetic acid as the final rinse.

According to Teagasc, many problems with high TBC or thermodurics are caused by inadequate levels of detergent being used for washing.

This most commonly happens on farms using automatic washing systems as it is easy to forget to check them, and over time detergent levels go astray.

Farmers must stay alert when it comes to detergent and washing, making sure the drums of detergent are replaced before they run out and ordering replacements in advance.

All of the milking equipment must be checked consistently to ensure it is running to a high standard, as quite often, worn rubbers and liners can cause a sharp spike in thermoduric bacteria counts.

If you continue to ensure all of these hygiene and management practices are in place, you should be able to keep your thermoduric bacteria levels under control.