Article Sécurit'Lait Coopagri Bretagne - July 1996

Sécurit’lait a tool for quality

This year, many of you have had problems with mastitis. The risk of inhibitors has increased. That's why we've been looking for a tool that will increase safety during these difficult periods and make it easier to organise work, particularly when milking alternates. We were interested in a farm monitoring white board to be placed in the milking parlour: THE SECURIT'LAIT WHITE BOARD.

This table is divided into 4 parts where the main events are listed:
- Cows with a treament,
- Cows with colostrum,
- Dry cows and heifers in preparation,
- Cows to be monitored.
For each event, the number (or name) of the animal, the scheduled start and end, and the period when separate milking is required, if necessary, are indicated. Each type of event has its own colour and set of leg bands in that colour. The colours are fluorescent for easy identification. The leg bands for dairy cows have been redesigned to make them easier to fit and more durable.

We tested this system at the GAEC (collective farm) Le Hir-Morvan in Plabennec.

Alain Morvan milks regularly during the week and every other weekend. The other weekend it's his partner, Rémi Le HIR, who does it. There is also an casual trainee.

AU FIL DU LAIT: Was it easy to adapt to this system?

Alain MORVAN: It was very quick and easy, especially as we were already using a whiteboard for concentrated food. Now, when I come back from the weekend, it's the first thing I look at in the milking parlour.

AFL: Is the white board easy to use?

A.M: Yes, you can see straight away which animals need to be milked separately (cows with a treatment or colostrum) and which need to be monitored (dry cows, heifers in preparation, cows to look after). In addition, the ‘to watch’ box lets you leave messages for other milkers. The table is easy to see from a distance, and the colours of the leg bands are easy to spot.

AFL: Have there been any problems with this unusual type of leg band?

A.M: Contrary to my fears, it was very easy to apply, even on hardwork cows. The colours are easy to see. They're easy to wash, simply with cloths, and once fitted they hold much better than conventional leg bands - the cow can't take them off by herself.

AFL: Does this tool give you greater security in times of risk?

A.M: Yes, you can't go wrong about which cows to set aside, because the whiteboard shows the date of the last treatment and how long the milk should be set aside for. The message is simple and clear, and a replacement or trainee can come and milk without risk, as long as they follow the instructions.
What's more, the two milking boxes encourage us to be even more involved in monitoring our animals. This whiteboard also helps us to organise ourselves better. Each event has its own strip colour, and with the whiteboard in front of you, there's no risk of mixing them up. This helps us to spot the cows that are always having little problems.

AFL: What are the disadvantages of this whiteboard?

A.M. Personally, I would have liked it to be a little bigger*, but it's true that it has to find a place in every dairy. Since the installation of this tool at the GAEC, there have been :
- 2 cases of mastitis, including one where milking stopped for a weekend.
- 1 calving at the weekend
- 1 heat detection during the weekend.
There were no quality problems.

This board can be ordered from your technician or dairy.
The table comes with
- A set of leg bands (6 per colour, 4 colours)
- A marker pen with its holder.

* The Sécurit'Lait board has since been enlarged (68x60 cm).

Read on Eureden's website (Coopagri Bretagne)