A Somerset dairy farm is seeing significant improvements in animal health and productivity after taking steps to tackle a water quality issue.

Mary Cook of Smokey Farm, Taunton had a contaminated borehole, which meant she was relying on a mains system to supply around 38,000 litres of water a day to her 280 Holstein Friesians, which was proving expensive.

“We initially noticed that there may be a problem with the borehole water when the calves began scouring,” Mary explains. “It was found to be contaminated, so we switched to the mains supply, which was costly, but we needed to address the issue.”

Testing showed that the borehole water had a high level of bacterial load including major mastitis pathogens, so could not even be used in the parlour during milking or for plant washing.

Working with the vet-led FarmWater team, she installed the firm’s chlorine dioxide treatment system 18 months ago. In the first 12 months of using it, there was a 37% reduction in mastitis in the herd, an 81% decline in bactoscans and a 28% decrease in somatic cell counts. 

Given there were no other changes to the farm’s infrastructure or management of the herd during this time, these changes were as a direct consequence of using clean water on the farm. Since then, the situation has continued to improve, with further reductions in clinical mastitis rate, bactoscan and bulk somatic cell counts.

“Since installing the system, we have seen an overall improvement in the cows’ health and, in turn, milk yields,” she says. “Improved water quality is also noticeable in the troughs, as once they have been cleaned out there is no algae build-up - we used to have a lot of algal blooms - but that is not happening now.”

The fully managed non-toxic water treatment, which is already proven within the poultry sector, kills any pathogens in the incoming water fed to the farm and provides clean water all the way through the water infrastructure, including pipes, tanks and troughs.

It comprises a generator which creates chlorine dioxide in-situ, which will break down any organic matter including bacteria, viruses, protozoa and biofilms in the water and pipework. This makes the water safer and more palatable for the cattle and reduces labour for staff, as they don’t have to clean the troughs as often. Once the water has been cleaned, any remaining chemicals break down into completely non-toxic constituents.

FarmWater’s field team, backed up by vet support, continually monitor the system and can remotely assess the generator to make sure it is functioning correctly. “It is very easy to operate,” Mary adds. “All we have to do is top up the chemical; it is automatically serviced and very simple to use.”

The payback period is under 2.5 years, with a possible £6,000-£7,000/year increase in profits, thereafter, based on clinical mastitis reduction alone, not including the saving in mains water costs, other health benefits or efficiencies.

“While the bactoscan and somatic cell count levels were both in the top band, these reductions give more leeway on the farm to avoid any penalties on milk price,” says FarmWater vet Phil Elkins. “It is well understood that a reduction in cell count is associated with an increase in milk production, which is great news for the herd.

“It just goes to show how important water quality is to livestock health and productivity, and the difference that can be seen by taking steps to improve it.”

For more information visit www.farmwater.co.uk