Plymouth dairy farmer scoops milk quality award

Photo: L-R - Jonathan Rawlings Managing Director of AGCO Finance Ltd Peter Winstone Milk Link Farmer Director Mr & Mrs Paul Andrews

The winners of the hotly-contested Milk Link Quality Awards 2005/06 were presented with their prizes on the first day of this week's Dairy Event in Stoneleigh. First place was taken by Paul Andrews of Lower Venton Farm, Sparkwell, Plymouth, who was awarded complimentary tickets to the Dairy Event, overnight accommodation and a cash prize of £500.

In second place, were Norman and Carol Pyle of Higher Woolston, Ottery St Mary, who won a cash prize of £150 and complimentary tickets. In third place, Philip Parr of Stockey Down, Crediton collected complimentary tickets and £75. The top three winners were also awarded with hampers full of dairy products produced by Milk Link. The top ten placed farmers will also each receive a certificate of achievement. The first prize was presented by Jonathan Rawlings, Managing Director of AGCO Finance Limited – the official sponsors of the Milk Link Quality Awards.

The Bactoscan counts – the industry standard for the measurement of bacteria in milk – for the top three farms can be seen in the graph below. Considering that the standard litre of milk has a Bactoscan of 30,000/ml, it is a remarkable achievement that Paul Andrews was able to achieve a monthly Bactoscan average of below 5,000/ml between January and March this year.

The winners of the Milk Link Quality Awards agreed that the benefits of reducing somatic cell counts (SCCs) and improving Bactoscans definitely outweighed the effort required. Sylvia Thomas, a Technical Advisor at Milk Link and one of the judges who recently visited the top three farms, commented: "Improving milk quality can lead to a variety of benefits including bonus payments, improved dairy herd health and welfare, and improved milking efficiency."

Mark Brooking, Membership Director at Milk Link, added: "The Milk Link Quality Awards have been a close-run contest this year, with a substantial number of farms delivering consistently low Bactoscan counts. I would like to offer my congratulations to the winners for their outstanding achievement in producing such superb quality milk."