Bulk Milk SCC

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.

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
For herds with a BMSCC of 300,000 cells/mL or less, each 100,000 cells/mL indicates approximately 15% of cows are infected. In all herds, a sudden increase of 50,000 cells/mL or more may indicate that one or more clinical cases have been missed. The impact of clinical cases will be more pronounced for smaller herds, or when there are fewer animals in the herd, such as at the start or end of the season.

Work out value of reducing SCC, see the SmartSAMM Gap Calculator.
Strip herd to find missed clinical cases. Check to related resources. Link to new Clinical cases page
Find high SCC cows with RMT. These should be more closely inspected for clinical signs or excluded from the vat. Use:
- a 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

Bulk milk somatic cell count (BMSCC) refers to the concentration of cells (expressed as cells/mL) present in the vat or bulk milk. It is used as an indirect way of estimating the level of subclinical mastitis in the herd.