Record bacteria count, somatic cells and inhibitors from the official milk test, keep monthly mean and counting window in view and, when inhibitors are positive, see at once which animals were blocked on the sample day.

Overview

Twice a month Suisselab tests your farm's bulk milk on behalf of the official milk testing scheme (MiPV). dbmilch reports the results by text message or e-mail: bacteria count, somatic cells and inhibitors. Under Health → Bulk milk you type these values in under a minute, on the phone right after the message. Herdy calculates the monthly mean, counts the objections in the official counting window and, when inhibitors are positive, shows the list of suspects from the treatment journal.

An import from dbmilch follows later; the table is prepared for it. Until then you record the values by hand.

Recording a result

The Record result button opens a short form:

Sample date, preset to today. There is at most one manual result per farm and date; a second one on the same day reports «A result already exists for this date».
Inhibitors: three large buttons «negative», «positive», «not tested».
Bacteria count and Somatic cells: dbmilch reports in thousands. You may enter 45, 45'000 or 45000; below the field stands the number that is stored («= 45'000 per ml»). Values below 1'000 count as thousands. At or above the objection limit a hint appears at once.
Milk from: only visible when the farm keeps more than one milk species (cow, goat, sheep). Goat, sheep and buffalo milk have a different bacteria limit and no cell limit.
Note: for example the pasted text message.

When inhibitors are positive the button reads Save and check animals and leads straight to the check.

Limits and counting window

Herdy applies the objection limits of the FSVO technical directive «Durchführung der Milchprüfung» (1 June 2017) and the dbmilch leaflet «Beanstandungsgrenzen» (8 April 2022):

Bacteria count from 80'000 cfu/ml (cow milk) or from 1'500'000 cfu/ml (goats, sheep, buffalo): one objection.
Somatic cells from 350'000 cells/ml (cow milk only): one objection.
Inhibitors positive: report to the cantonal enforcement authority and delivery ban on every detection (MiPV Art. 15).

The monthly mean is the geometric mean of the first two samples of a calendar month (square root of the product); with one sample that sample counts. 900'000 and 100'000 cells thus give 300'000, no objection. The table shows the mean in the first row of each month.

The two counting window cards count the objected monthly means: bacteria in the last four calendar months («n of 3 in 4 months»), cells in the last five («n of 4 in 5 months»). The official delivery ban follows at the third or fourth objection; the card turns red one step before. Herdy decides nothing, it only counts along.

The trend shows bacteria and cells of the last twelve months with the limit as a dashed line; points at or above the limit are red, a triangle on the date axis marks an inhibitor result. The trend appears from two results on.

Inhibitor check

When inhibitors are positive the Check animals link opens the list of suspects for the sample day. It reads the treatment journal for the sample day and the 14 days before and sorts every animal by its highest classification:

Blocked on the sample day: animals whose milk withdrawal was still running on the sample day, with a milk ban or with a dry-off product until after calving. This is the milk block list for that day.
Block ended shortly before: release on the sample day, the day before or two days before. The tank holds the milkings of the previous days.
Further treatments in the window: all other treatments and vaccinations whose block interval touches the last 14 days, including those without a milk withdrawal (a recording error is a real cause).
Groups and summering animals: treatments without a single animal.
Recently calved (colostrum, 8 days): dams with a birth in the last eight days, as a hint, not as a suspect (VHyMP Art. 10).

Every card leads to the animal; the «Treatment» link opens the journal on the entry. The Open journal button shows the whole window. Departed animals stay in the list because the cause on the sample day counts.

If Herdy finds no animal in the journal, the page names the most frequent causes outside the journal: milking order, cleaning of the equipment, colostrum, mastitis cow. According to the RGD leaflet «Hemmstoffe» (2020) more than half of the cases stem from milking order and cleaning, not from an ignored withdrawal.

With Print you take the list to the enforcement authority; the footer names the animals and treatments checked and the window.

Producer number

Under Settings → Milk production you store the dbmilch producer number (printed on the milk payment statement and shown in the dbmilch login). It is saved with every result and is the key for the later import. Only the farm owner can change it.

Dashboard

After the first result the Bulk milk card appears on the dashboard and in the health overview with the date of the last sample, the three values and the counting window. It turns red when inhibitors were positive in the last 90 days or the last sample was objected, and then leads straight to the check.

Warning, not a ruling. Limits and counting windows are a calculation aid based on the public rules of milk testing. The notices of dbmilch, Suisselab and the cantonal enforcement authority are decisive.