Thermoduric bacteria are heat resistant bacteria in milk that are able to survive the pasteurisation process and have significant implications on the quality and type of products that can be produced from milk.

The most effective way of reducing the number of thermoduric bacteria in the process is to limit the bacteria at farm level.

Thermoduric bacteria can spike at this time of the year, as farmers tend to become more relaxed towards the end of the lactation.

They are present in dung, soil and animal bedding, and can enter the milking equipment through dirty teats at milking time.

The risk of higher thermoduric readings increases as we move into the autumn months, where conditions are not as favourable for cow hygiene.

Steps to control your thermoduric levels on the farm are as follows:

The main thing is keeping the cow's environment clean, particularly yards and roadways;
Change liners and rubber-ware in parlour before they deteriorate - many herds will be due a milk liner change now;
Descale the milking machine regularly, at least once a week;
Check the cleaning of the milking machine and bulk tank making sure no residue is visible;
Disinfect the milking machine with paracetic acid as the final rinse;
Make sure you are using a clean filter sock during washing;
Ensure your hot water is at a sufficient temperature of 75 to 80°C.

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

This is likely to happen when automatic washing systems have not bee checked for some time, leaving lines and 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.

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.