Antibiotic residue release at the beginning of lactation following dry cow therapy

Abstract

In response to farmer complaints about unfair penalties, for the presence of inhibitory substances in early lactation following the use of dry-cow antibiotic therapy, a two-part study was carried out to try and establish why these unexplained grades occur.

A survey of instructions supplied with each of 13 registered dry-cow products suggested that the directions for drug use were in some cases inappropriate for long-acting antibiotics.

A residue release study was conducted at the beginning of lactation following antibiotic therapy at various times during the dry period. The results showed, for the three dry-cow preparations studied, that treatment during the dry period, especially within six weeks of calving, could lead to detectable residues in milk from treated quarters.