The application of OIE standards for zoonotic disease control and food safety provide an internationally recognized pathway for China to improve food safety and strengthen veterinary and public health. Dairy regions in China would benefit from sustainable technical assistance that would improve the quality and safety of milk starting with ‘on-farm’ food safety programs. Transmission of brucellosis and tuberculosis from cattle to humans and other zoonotic diseases is a significant risk in the Chinese dairy industry. This activity held during November 17-20, 2008 transferred knowledge on “on farm milk safety”, biosecurity, best management practices, mammary gland disease control, milk quality assessment and the effect of nutrition on milk components as well as zoonotic disease prevention and control. Participants became familiar with the risk and impacts of these diseases on human health and on-farm means for prevention and control. Participatory methods were applied with specific activities aimed to reinforce the concepts related to the effect of milk quality, milk composition and hygiene on industrial efficiency, safety and human health.

Producing quality, wholesome milk is part of delivering and enhancing Food Safety to the public. Diseases both, contagious and those associated with contamination, are readily transmitted via the milk to humans. Recently, there has been a great deal of criticism concerning the adulteration of milk by a variety of illegal products, among them melamine, water, NaHCO₃ etc. Diseases readily transmitted by the milk are Brucellosis, Tuberculosis and other bacteria contaminating the milk during the milking procedure. Assuring food that is safe to eat involves changes in legislation and the enforcement of those regulations but, also a big part of ensuring food safety is education of the producer, veterinarians and animal health workers who deliver services to farmers and whose responsibility should also include inspection and oversight. If not veterinarians, some third independent party, neither producer nor processor, should have this responsibility and the authority for the implementation of standard operating procedures and minimum sanitary standards. Veterinarians and producers are extremely interested in learning ways in which they can improve production and profitability. Fortunately, the management procedures that are implemented to improve milk production, normally result in milk that with better quality and safer to drink. Better sanitation results in lowered bacterial counts, better milking procedure results in lowered somatic cell counts (less mastitis) and lowered bacterial counts.

Approximately 20 veterinarians from the prefecture and county level Veterinary Service Bureau in Hohhot took part in the participatory training exercise. Additionally, they were joined by a team of veterinarians and farmers travelling from Hailar, IMAR and two veterinarians from Yanji, Jilin. On the second day four members of the veterinary staff from the Australian - Asian Demonstration Farm joined the training making very positive practical contributions to the training. In total, approximately 30 veterinarians and 5 farmers received training. Participatory methodology was utilized and trainees became part of the training process. The training was delivered in two languages using translated presentations, and props plus audience participation were extensively used.

The LHESP veterinary medicine experts Dr. Dennis Will and Dr. Terry presented a variety of topics related to ‘on-farm’ milk safety and zoonotic disease. The topics were Farm Biosecurity, Quality Milk Production, Poor Sanitation - Health Risks, Mastitis Control and Prevention, Reproduction; brucellosis and tuberculosis, Feeding the Milking Cow. Also Mrs. Maria Mai, from DeLaval, made one presentation related to sanitation and milking procedures. The training was complemented with visits to the Australia Asian Demonstration Farm and to the Mengnui Group Dairy Processing Plant.