Extension Services for Quality Milk Production
Proceedings of an International Workshop in conjunction with the East-West-Forum
of the Federal Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Forestry
and the "Window of German Animal Breeding" at the International Green Week
24-25 January, 1999

Extension Service and Quality of Milk in Slovenia

Better production results failed due to unfavourable farm size and herd composition during the transition, being 3,5 cows per farm in 1990. It has been increased to 6.1 cows per farm in 1998 after the new quality standards have been accepted (Table 3).
The number of farms that have their milk purchased decreased to reach 20 000 farms today. Due to changes in the land owning structure the number of state farms decreased to only 25 at the moment. They produce 8.7 % of all purchased milk in Slovenia. Ten years ago state farms produced 13.8 % of all purchased milk in Slovenia.

Table 2: Total amount of purchased milk and average price of purchased milk
 

Since 1990 the quality of purchased milk has been improved significantly (higher contents of fat and proteins in milk, less TNMO and SCC). Therefore the quality of milk can be compared to that in the neighbour countries (Italy, Austria, Germany). Despite changes in eating habits and higher consumption of milk and milk products, Slovenia has milk surpluses that are intended to be sold on ex-Yugoslav markets and the EU market. Now 15 dairies purchase milk in Slovenia. The quality of purchased milk differs among dairies. For example, there are two dairies with very high quality of milk - 97 % of purchased milk is of extra, i.e. first quality class. Merging of dairies in Slovenia will probably result in the future in two dairy systems, one in the eastern and the other in the western part of the country.

Table 3: Herd structure and number of cows per recorded herd
 

The introduction of new regulation - a quality progress
Some significant changes in number of farms, herd structure and quality of milk were noticed in 1993 when new regulations on milk payments were introduced, which are based on EU standards for total number of micro-organisms. Somatic cell count in milk was introduced in 1996. Unfortunately somatic cell count was not a practice in milk recording before 1996 (Tables 4 and 5).

Table 4: Microbiological quality of milk, percent in each quality class according to new milk quality regulations
 

Table 5: Somatic cell counts and averages SCC in "samples from stables" (analyses were performed at Institute for Microbiology of Veterinary Faculty)
 

Table 5 shows that the percentage of samples of milk with SCC > 500 000 decreases as well as the average SCC in milk that is delivered to dairies by farmers. A significant advance in quality of milk was noticed after 1993, which was caused by new Regulation, new purchase price system, higher level of knowledge and perception of farmers who had milk purchased.
 

Model of formation new purchase price system for milk

New purchase price for one litre of milk is formed according to the following model:

PPP = M + B + K

PPP = purchase price for producer
M = (ME) x determined percent of fat
ME = price per fat unit = 6.77 SIT/litre
B = (BE) x determined percent of proteins
BE = price per protein unit = 7.97 SIT/litre
K = bonus for quality class = IC x percent of increasing or decreasing bonus regarding the quality class and somatic cell count.
IC = basic purchase price of milk - i.e. milk with 3 % milk fat and 3.5 % proteins, which is 50.5 SIT/litre at the moment.

According to the Regulation the basic price of milk increases or decreases regarding the achieved quality class:

E quality class (up to 50 000 mo/ml) + 5 % + 5 % for SCC*
1^st quality class (50 001 do 100 000 mo/ml) 0 % + 5 % for SCC*
2^nd quality class (100 001 do 400 000 mo/ml) - 5 %
3^rd quality class (400 001 do 800 000 mo/ml) - 15 %

*Regarding the somatic cell count in milk the basic price can be increased by 5 % for the E quality milk and 1^st quality milk that contains less than 400 000 somatic cells per litre.

At the moment Slovene milk producers can gain 10 % of bonus for quality milk (up to 50 000 TNMO and up to 400 000 SCC), which is 55.15 SIT or 0,27 ECU per litre of purchased milk with 3.7 % milk fat and 3.15 % proteins.
 

Quality control of purchased milk

The quality of purchased milk is controlled by dairy employees or authorised persons from co-operatives (both). Deeds of sale between milk producers and dairies are addressed to co-operatives. Samples of milk are taken in the milk collecting units or at producers’ according to the following schedule:

• at least twice a month for fat and protein control
• at least twice a month for somatic cell count
• TNMO is determined at least once a month
• freezing point of milk is determined according to circumstances
• contents of anti-bodies and inhibiting matters are determined according to circumstances.

Organisation of extension services for milk production

Besides above mentioned facts the milk quality in Slovenia is also influenced by the Agricultural Extension Services and the Milk Recording Service, with Selection Service of Slovenia also having great influence the milk quality after transition in Slovenia.

1. Agricultural extension service

The objectives of extension service are in accordance with the objectives of Slovenian agricultural policy. They were determined in the Development Strategy of Slovenian Agriculture (1993). The main objectives are:

• direction of development of countryside
• income increase on farms by diminishing production costs,
• better education and training of farmers and their family members in farm management
• promotion of production that maintains natural equilibrium and fertility of soil,
• harmonisation of production with natural capacities and markets
• provision of suitable expert education and training of agricultural extension service officers and producers.

2. Milk recording service

Milk recording is especially important for selection service. In Slovenia 210 000 cows and 30 000 heifers are inseminated every year: 65 000 cows, which is 39 % of all dairy cows, are milk recorded. About 600 cows are bull dams, which is less than 1 % of recorded cows. Prospective bull dams are chosen and registered as dams of future bulls on the base of calculated breeding values and measured physical traits and exterior marks. Bull dams are inseminated by semen of best bulls of a certain breed (domestic and imported).
Slovenia is included into international comparison of breeding value estimations of bulls and transfer all data regularly to INTERBULL Centre to Uppsala. Recording results are important from information point of view and are at disposal of various governmental and expert bodies like Ministry of Agriculture, Chamber of Agriculture, Chamber of Veterinary, dairies and meat processing units, and Statistical Office of Slovenia.
 

Organisation and financing of milk recording

Milk recording service in Slovenia is organised and financed by Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry and Food. Cattle Service of Slovenia consists of central service (Agricultural Institute and Biotechnical Faculty) and six regional centres (Murska Sobota, Ptuj, Celje, Kranj, Ljubljana and Nova Gorica).
Six laboratories analyse milk and belong to six regional centres. Laboratories have MILKOSCANS (diverse capacity). Some laboratories have FOSSOMATIC for somatic cell counts. The mentioned six laboratories and other laboratories that analyse milk for dairies, are part of network for milk sample exchange. Laboratory of Institute for Dairying that is a part of Biotechnical Faculty - Zootechnical Department (BF) is a referral laboratory. Laboratory of the BF Institute for Dairying is included into international network for assessment of results because Slovenia is a member of ICAR Reference Laboratory Network led by Mr. Oliver Leray. Slovenia exchanges results with referral laboratories in Europe (France, Germany, Denmark). All laboratories in Slovenia are included into the national ring test and are calibrated with referral laboratory of Institute for Dairying.

The following table displays herds and milk recorded cows by regional centres

Table 6: Number of herds and milk recorded cows - review by regional centres in 1997
 

Table 7 shows the average number of cows per milk recorded herd in each regional centre. Smaller herds are in the eastern part of Slovenia where milk production has declined due to pig production and in the western part of Slovenia (Primorska) where farming has declined owing to aggravated production conditions. Young people leave this mountain and carst region and only elderly people remain.

Table 7: Average number of cows per milk recorded herd referring to sector and controller in 1997
 

3. Quality assurance and Slovene dairy laboratories

In the period of transition, 1990 - 1998, Slovenia managed to maintain the number of cows and milk production on almost the same level as before the transition. Milk production has been increasing since 1993 and there are some milk surpluses.

Market demands and new regulations on quality of milk introduced in 1993 caused the decrease of family farms and state farms with market production of milk by 50 %.

The composition of milk (fat and proteins) and especially microbiological quality after 1993 has obviously been improved and reached the EU level.

Family farms that keep market production of milk have improved technologies, genetic potential of animals and productivity of cows and productivity of work.

Number of cows per family farm with market milk production has been slowly increasing (on 6.1 cows/farm in year 1998).

Amounts of purchased milk per cow increased on family farms by 1.050 litres and on state farms by about 730 litres in the period from 1990 to 1998.

Breed composition of milk producing cows has been changed in favour of Black and White cows (HF).

The government contributes to the above changes by financing extension services, milk recording and selection services, and by price policy and subsidies.

The problem is not enough attractive loans for more rapid changes of farm size and modernisation of milk production.

Quite large extension and milk recording services due to farm structure in Slovenia and large number of dairies are still being reorganised and shall be reduced in future.
 

References

1. Cattle Breeding in Slovenia. Govedorejska sluzba Slovenije. Ljubljana, 1997.
2. Golc-Teger Slavica: Adapting the milk and milk products' quality control to the directives of the European Union. 6^th Int. Symp. »Animal Science Days«, Portoroz, Slovenia, Sept. 16-18, 1998, s. 229 - 235
3. Klopcic Marija, Podgoršek P.: Rezultati kontrole produktivnosti krav v letu 1997. Govedorejski zvonci, 3(1998)1
4. MKGP: Slovensko kmetijstvo, gozdarstvo in zivilstvo v številkah. Ljubljana, 1997.

5. Statistical yearbook Republic of Slovenia (1980, 1985, 1990, 1993, 1996, 1997)

1. Uredba o nacinu oblikovanja odkupne cene kravjega mleka. Uradni list Republike Slovenije, št. 89 (1998), s. 8475 -8476
2. Zorko Olga, Hocevar J., Golc Slavica, Valinger E.: Prireja kakovostnega mleka. Kmecki glas, 1997, št. 3

Chart 1: Organization scheme of dairy cattle services in Slovenia