A consistent and hygienic milking routine is vital at this time of the year in order to produce high-quality milk, and will also aid with milking speed.

It can be easy to let your somatic cell count (SCC) slip, which in turn leads to poor quality milk being produced and increases the risk of mastitis.

The aim of a good milking routine is to put clusters on calm cows, with clean, dry, well-stimulated teats to remove milk as quick as possible, and to remove the teat cups as soon as the cow has finished milking.

While it is important to get through the milking as quick as possible, hygiene must not be overlooked, as it is important to strike a balance between good milking practices and efficiency.

Before the cows are gathered, the milking parlour should be set up and wet down to avoid causing any unnecessary stress on the cows waiting to be milked.

A clean milking apron should be used with disposable nitrile gloves to help stop the spread of mastitis and protect against any zoonotic diseases, such as leptospirosis, during milking.

Clusters should be attached to clean, dry teats. Ideally, each quarter should should be stripped to check for mastitis and to stimulate milk let down.

Once the cluster has been attached, it is important to check that it is sitting squarely on the cow, as this will prevent the liner from slipping or pinching the cow and ensure the cow is milked correctly.

Manual cluster removal should happen when there is only a single stream of milk visible in the claw piece in order to minimise the risk of over milking.

Farmers should be weary of causing air blasts when taking off clusters by turning off the vacuum and kinking the milk tube, or by using the button on the claw piece.

If you have automatic cluster removers (ACRs), ensure that they are in good operating order, as you don't want them taking clusters off cows that are still milking or getting over-milked.

Apply post-milking teat disinfectant and regularly check that the majority of the teat skin of every teat is completely covered at the end of every milking.

Wash the parlour between rows and avoid washing while cows are in the parlour, unless all of the units are attached to cows.

Use running water and disinfectant solution to remove infected milk from gloves, liners and other equipment to stop the spread of mastitis and other diseases.

It must not be forgotten that the milker is producing food and that the quality of this food is essential in sustaining and creating markets and this can only be acvhieved through a good hygienic milking routine.