The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) will collaborate with Barber’s Farmhouse Cheesemakers for an event centred on milk quality and mastitis.
The event, titled ‘Milk quality and mastitis – Managing udder health on your farm’, will take place from 6:45p.m until 9:00p.m on Thursday, June 13, 2024.
The event will be held at Castle Cary Rugby Club, Brook House Lane, Station Road, Castle Cary, Somerset.
AHDB said the event will focus on how understanding mastitis and udder health on farm can lead to more saleable milk, higher milk quality, improved cow welfare and less antibiotic use.
The risk factors leading to poor udder health are unique to each farm so it is important to know how to use the available data to assess your farm and prevent health breakdowns, AHDB said.
Clinical veterinary consultant with Map of Ag, James Breen, will join AHDBA and Barber’s Farmhouse Cheesemakers.
He will discuss:
- Mastitis, bactoscans and thermodurics;
- The importance of recording clinical event data;
- Clinical mastitis events – where infections come from;
- Treatment options;
- What to do when you get home to your herd
Barber’s Farmhouse Cheesemakers
The Barber family have been making cheddar cheese since 1833, when Daniel Barber began making cheese on his Somerset farm.
The family business is now the oldest surviving cheddar-maker in the world.
The family combines West Country milk with traditional manufacturing methods to produce their cheese.
The Barber dairy cows graze the pastures of Somerset and Dorset to produce milk that is transformed into PDO-accredited cheddar.
“We also work with many of our neighbouring farmers who supply us with additional milk and we’re proud to support our local farming community in this way,” Barber’s Farmhouse Cheesemakers said.
“We’re also the sole guardians of the country’s last remaining traditional cheese starter cultures — the ‘friendly’ bacteria that start the cheesemaking process and contribute to the final texture, aroma and taste.
“Only by using these cultures can we be sure that we’re making true West Country cheddar.”
