German dairy farmers will have monthly inspections and a focus on animal feed quality, under updated national milk standards backed by the three main farm organisations there.

“Routine monthly herd inspections are carried out to check udder health. Should there be a suspicion that an animal has an udder infection, an individual examination is necessary to determine how to treat the animal,” the report says.

It refers to increased global competition as one of the reasons for updating national standards and the need for an “enhanced image of the sector to consumers, politicians and traders”.

The standards of QM Milch are part of a voluntary assurance system for farmers similar to Bord Bia’s Sustainable Dairy Assurance Scheme (SDAS), which can also be adopted as part of the terms and conditions of milk processors.

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