Malawi milk producers in drive to enhance production
The World University of Canada (Wusc) has provided a veterinarian, Bill Hazen, to work with the Malawi Milk Producers Association (MMPA) for a period of three months to manage mastitis, an illness commonly found in cows.
The disease is an udder infection that damages a cow’s milk producing tissue.
It generally results in easily recognisable symptoms such as stringy appearance of milk and its clotting.
MMPA national director Herbert Chagona said Hazen will work with his association until March.
He said with funding from Flanders International Corporation Agency (Fica) and sector funds from Wusc, the doctor, together with MMPA technical officers and assistant veterinary officers, will conduct tests and treat animals with mastitis in selected milk bulking groups in Dedza, Lilongwe and Dowa.
“Dr. Bill Hazen will provide training to all the veterinary officers and animal health workers in these selected milk bulking groups so that they would be able to take milk samples from the affected cows,” said Chagona who added that 75 percent of all dairy cows are affected by mastitis in the region.
He said the expert will also identify the organism and provide advice to the farmer on effective management and treatment.
Chagona said there are a number of complaints
of cows with sour milk from members and said many cows with sour milk have some degree of mastitis.
“The only way to determine what the causative agent is would be to test the milk in the laboratory,” he added.
On his part, Hazen said he was ready to help Malawi milk producers in managing mastitis in the country.
He said the sample would have to be collected from the bulking groups, kept cool before delivered in a timely manner to simple laboratory for mastitis which he said will be set up at the milk bulking group.
