In Brazil, milk production is a key sector for income generation, tax collection and much of the milk produced comes from family farms. The present study was aimed to assess the conditions of milk production on 30 far...In Brazil, milk production is a key sector for income generation, tax collection and much of the milk produced comes from family farms. The present study was aimed to assess the conditions of milk production on 30 farms in the city of S~ Mateus, to the North of the state of Espirito Santo, Brazil. Data were obtained through questionnaires sent to producers according to the legislation of the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture. The questions included type of milking, hygiene practices and health status of milkers, mastitis control and source and others. Milking was manually done in all farms, and only 40,0% of milkers washed their hands and forearms before milking, and 13.0% used antiseptic solutions after washing. None of the farms performed the pre-dipping and post-dipping procedures. Control of mastitis was not performed in 94.0% of the farms and none of them performed the CMT test. A high degree of non-conformity was observed in the family farms. These data demonstrate the need for training farmers in good agricultural practices. This would contribute to achieving better quality milk, and ensure the sustainability of the segment in the Northern region of the state of Espirito Santo, Brazil.展开更多
文摘In Brazil, milk production is a key sector for income generation, tax collection and much of the milk produced comes from family farms. The present study was aimed to assess the conditions of milk production on 30 farms in the city of S~ Mateus, to the North of the state of Espirito Santo, Brazil. Data were obtained through questionnaires sent to producers according to the legislation of the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture. The questions included type of milking, hygiene practices and health status of milkers, mastitis control and source and others. Milking was manually done in all farms, and only 40,0% of milkers washed their hands and forearms before milking, and 13.0% used antiseptic solutions after washing. None of the farms performed the pre-dipping and post-dipping procedures. Control of mastitis was not performed in 94.0% of the farms and none of them performed the CMT test. A high degree of non-conformity was observed in the family farms. These data demonstrate the need for training farmers in good agricultural practices. This would contribute to achieving better quality milk, and ensure the sustainability of the segment in the Northern region of the state of Espirito Santo, Brazil.