Figure 3. Correct milking machine settings and parlour routine play an important role in the control of contagious mastitis. Animals should be milked in relative risk order, with younger animals milked first, and older, known infected animals last, after which the clusters should be disinfected. Post-milking teat dipping will also aid in control of spread of contagious mastitis.

Control of mastitis in dairy sheep and goats

The annual incidence of clinical mastitis in dairy sheep and goats is estimated to be around 5% (Contreras et al, 2007). This is much lower than the 13–40% incidence of dairy cattle (Jamali et al,...