The field detection of inter-unit milk flow in pipeline milking equipment

Authors: Whittlestone WG, Brookbanks EO
Publication: New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Volume 20, Issue 12, pp 229-231, Dec 1972
Publisher: Taylor and Francis

Animal type: Cattle, Livestock, Production animal, Ruminant
Subject Terms: Animal production/wastage, Diagnostic procedures, Disease transmission, Epidemiology, Mammary gland/udder, Milk, Harvesting/processing
Article class: Scientific Article

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Abstract: There are many ways in which a milking machine can transmit infection from cow to cow. The immediate transfer of infection by the teat-cups is obvious and the reduction of the effectiveness of this vector has been shown to reduce the incidence of mastitis (Wilkinson, 1965). The change from bucket to pipeline milkers has been associated with an increase in the incidence of mastitis and this has been attributed to the vacuum instability of the latter system. Fell and Richards (1970) have studied the relationship between machine stability and the level of somatic cells in milk, and Whittlestone and Fell (1969) have suggested that milk line vacuum instability could be associated with flow conditions that could give rise to the movement of potentially infected milk from the pipeline back into the clusters. This potential vector has been overlooked in the past but its presence, would clearly negate the beneficial effects of “back flushing”. A field study was therefore undertaken to estimate the frequency of occurrence of the “inter-unit flow” effect in pipeline systems, and Whittlestone et al (1970) found a high incidence of milk movement back to the cluster in high pipeline systems though the effect was not found amongst the limited number of low-line installations examined…

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