Comparison between automated and manual systems of ovine milk collection in Tuscany (Italy)

In order to guarantee traceability through the sheep dairy production chain, the measure of the milk produced in each farm represents a critical and troublesome phase. In Tuscany (Italy), The most common system to measure milk production in sheep farms is the manual one, by means of calibrated bars installed at farm tanks. Recently a fully-automated system consisting of pumps, installed on tank trucks, able to measure milk quantity, pH and temperature, and able also to collect samples for sanitary analysis has been implemented. In the present study, the two measurement systems for milk collection (manual and automated) have been compared on 46 sheep dairy farms in Tuscany. Data concerning milk quantity (litres) and quality parameters (fat, protein, lactose, somatic cell count and bacterial count) measured both with automatically and manual tools were submitted to statistical analysis (Pearson correlation coefficient). Results showed an excellent concordance (P<0,0001) for almost each of the analysed parameters; thus, the diffusion of automated systems for sheep milk collection may represent an important tool to guarantee traceability and to obtain the certification under the regulation UNI EN ISO 22005/2008.