Effectively monitoring and managing the SCC cell count in the dairy herd is critical to monitoring the herd health status and to maximising the profit from the yield. The SCC count is calculated as the number of somatic cells per ml of milk – the higher the count, the lower the value of the milk, and the higher the risk from consumption.

Typically dairy cows are not tested individually but rather the bulk tank is tested daily, allowing the milk from some sick animals to be diluted down by a majority healthy herd.

• An individual cow with an SCC <100,00 is deemed ‘uninfected’.
• An SCC of 200,000 or more would indicate mastitis in at least one quarter.
• An SCC over 300,00 would indicate an animal is suffering with significant pathogens.
• A bulk tank SCC >400,000 is deemed unfit for human consumption by the EU.