Antibiotic residues

It is essential to keep antibiotics out of the milk supply to ensure product safety, protect against bacterial resistance, and preserve consumer confidence.

There are three key control points for residues:

• Before treated cows return to the milking line:

  Testing is essential because antibiotic withdrawal times can vary, for example:

  • Older cows retain antibiotics longer than younger ones, sometimes even longer than the stated withdrawal times.
  • If a cow is treated “extra-label,” it typically retains antibiotics longer than the withdrawal time listed on the label.

• After each milking:

  • Testing often saves money because you can catch errors very early, before good milk is mixed with contaminated milk.
  • The earlier you detect residue contamination, the less milk you will discard and the smaller the financial impact.

• Right before pickup:

  This is the most critical point of all because it is the last chance to catch contamination before the milk is shipped.