Incidence of Microbiological Hazards in Organized and Peri Urban Dairy Farms and Single Animal Holdings in a Tropical Environment

The primary objective of this study was to determine the incidence pattern of pathogenic and spoilage organisms in organized and Peri urban dairy farms and single animal holdings in rural settings under a tropical environment. For bacteriological analysis and comparing the incidence of different microorganisms under various management systems, milk, water and swab samples were collected from all the setups. The sampling points selected were: milk from Machine Milking (MM), milk from Hand Milking (HM), Drinking Water (DW), Washing Water (WW), wet swab of Milker s Hand (MH), Animal s udder and coat (AH), teat cups and container (EH), Floor (FS) and air sampling of the inside and outside milking area. The overall microbial counts were relatively higher in Peri urban dairies and single animal holdings as compared to the organized dairies which had modernized and sophisticated production systems with more hygienic milking practices. The difference in incidence of microbial counts was found to have a direct correlation with hygiene conditions and milking practices prevalent under a particular production set-up. Therefore, dairy farmers need to be provided greater education through extension and outreach programs to adopt clean milk production and management practices. So that they not only get a good price for their milk but also meet the requirements of quality milk especially under tropical milk production conditions.