The Importance of Predipping & Forestripping

Take home message:

• Implementation of standardized milking practices requires frequent training of milking technicians and frequency of training is related to both milking speed and the rate of clinical mastitis
• The consistent implementation of standardized milking practices such as forestripping, predipping, the use of single towels to dry teats and well-defined milking routines are essential aspects of quality milk production.
• Some routine recommendations about milking routine are not supported by research
  • The order of predipping and forestripping do not influence milking performance.
• Implementation of successful milking routines is dependent on the ability to clearly communicate the value of these practices and to motivate milking personnel to consistently apply them.

The efficient production and harvest of high quality milk is the goal of most dairy farmers. High quality milk is visually appealing, free of adulteration and meets specific quality standards for somatic cell count (SCC), and bacteria. Producers of high quality milk know that a consistent method of premilking udder hygiene and the uniform attachment of properly functioning milking machines are important. The objective of milking management is to ensure that teatcups are applied to visibly clean, well stimulated teats, milk is rapidly and efficiently harvested and milking units are removed when milking is completed. A number of milking routines are used on dairy farms but no single milking practice will independently result in improved milk quality in the face of overwhelming exposure to mastitis pathogens. Management practices used to improve milk quality are interdependent and the secret of producing high quality milk is to consistently use well-defined milking practices that reduce exposure to mastitis pathogens. The “one size fits all” approach doesn’t apply to milking routines, but the use of forestripping and predipping are fundamental practices that help to improve milk quality and safety

The use of pre-dipping using iodine has been demonstrated to reduce standard plate counts and coliform counts in raw milk by 5 and 6 fold, and also contributes to improvements in food safety. It is important to recognize that sufficient time and contact of the disinfectant with the teat is necessary for effective reduction in bacterial numbers. Teat dips need to be properly formulated, completely applied to debris free teats, and allowed sufficient time (30 seconds) for action before removal.

The examination of milk before attaching milking units is necessary to ensure that all abnormal milk is diverted from the human food chain and identify clinical cases of mastitis at an early stage. Forestripping is adequately performed when 2-3 streams of milk are expressed and is an effective means to ensure adequate milk letdown. When both predipping and forestripping are practiced, there is no data that indicates that the order that the steps are performed will affect milk quality. In an analysis of milking routines of Wisconsin dairy farms (Rodrigues et al., 2005) milking performance was equal for herds regardless of which premilking procedure was performed first. On a practical basis, when teats are clean, it may be best to forestrip before teat end disinfection to reduce the opportunity to re-contaminate teat skin. In milking parlors, cows can be forestripped onto the floor but the appearance of the milk should be noted to identify cows with mild cases of clinical mastitis. In stall barns, milk should never be forestripped onto cow beds. The use of gloves by milking staff is recommended to reduce the potential spread of mastitis pathogens by contaminated hands

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