Staying ahead in the SCC game

Somatic Cell Count (SCC) management is important in any year but is of greater importance still in low milk price years, Dairy Specialist at Teagasc, Stuart Childs explains.

Achieving bonuses are important for milk revenue; keeping cell count in check reduces costs associated with treatments and milk sales foregone. While it is early in the season, staying on top of SCC now is important for end of lactation milk supply; high SCC cows will either have to be culled or dried off early which will mean you are foregoing high solids milk sales at the end of the year when milk value will be at it’s greatest. Therefore, it is important to manage your SCC now.

Key to this is milk recording. Milk recording must take place <60 days post start of calving for an accurate assessment of drying off routine. While it is an inconvenience at an already busy time of year, it provides invaluable information with regard to SCC at an early stage in lactation. Early identification and intervention (consult your vet for best course of action) can prevent SCC spreading through the herd and becoming a real headache.

Some options to address the problem cows are:

• Antibiotic treatment where appropriate as recommended by your vet
• Dry the quarter
• Cull the cow

Many people baulk at the idea of culling a cow early in lactation but if a cow was high SCC last year and is high again in 2026 following a good dry period, treatment will not resolve the issue and in the interest of the protecting the remainder of the herd, the best thing to do is to dry her off.

Think of the early milk recording as short-term pain for long-term gain. Book your first milk recording and the help you will need to complete it in the next few weeks to make sure you stay ahead in the SCC game in 2026.

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