Why is this important?

• A high bulk milk somatic cell count (SCC) indicates a high level of mastitis (usually subclinical) in the herd
• About 15% of cows have (subclinical) mastitis for every 100,000 cells/ml
• Sharp rises often indicate missed clinical cases
• Impact of mastitis on SCC is more pronounced when fewer cows in milk e.g. at the start or end of season.

You have a problem with SCC if you have:  

• SCC grades
• SCC alerts or warnings
• Spikes in SCC (+50,000 cells/ml)
• Upward trend in SCC steeper than target curve - see Guideline 11.1
• SCC above industry average - see Industry Benchmarks.

Your options include:

• Work out value of reducing SCC, see the SmartSAMM Gap Calculator.
• Strip herd to find missed clinicals. See:
• Healthy Udder - Find 1 for finding clinicals
• Guideline 4.2 for defining clinical cases for treatment
• Guideline 5.2 for ways to strip whole herd.
• Find high SCC cows with RMT.  These should be more closely inspected for clinical signs, or excluded from the vat. See:
• Healthy Udder - Find 2 for using an RMT (Rapid Mastitis Test).
• Arrange emergency herd test.  Find high SCC cows and check for clinical signs.  Can also exclude from vat or dry off quarter/cow early.
• Get help - a second pair of eyes (vet, milk quality advisor) can help spot problems with your system to prevent mastitis. Go to:
• Accredited vets
• Your dairy company milk quality advisors
• Milk quality consultants: AsureQuality and QCONZ.