[Veterinary medical offer for udder health and milking hygiene: results in Rheinland-Pfalz].

A sanitation programme was installed by veterinary medical officers on 261 dairy farms. All farms had been selected because of problems with somatic cell counts in milk for a long period of time. Quarter milk samples were taken from all lactating cows, and management factors (including milking equipment, -hygiene, housing and feeding) were assessed. Contagious mastitis pathogens like Sc. agalactiae and Staphylococci represented the main bacteriological problem in 79% of the herds. Only minor problems were caused by environmental pathogens like esculin-positive Streptococci and Coliforms. The sanitation programmes were mainly based on improvements with milking hygiene and techniques. Recommendations for antibiotic therapy were also given. Farmers and veterinary surgeons were entirely responsible for the implementation of these programmes on the farm. Success was controlled by monitoring somatic cell counts in bulk milk four months before to 18 months after the veterinary medical officer visited the farm. As early as one month after the visit cell counts decreased significantly (p < 0.01) and continued decreasing during the second (p < 0.05) and following months. Somatic cell counts of bulk milk stabilised on a significantly lower level for all over the period monitored.