Machine-Milking Practices, Animal Welfare-Related Reactions and Quality of Milk Produced in Dairy Sheep Farms

There is a scarcity of relevant information in the international literature regarding the welfare of dairy ewes during the milking process and the potential impact on the quality of the produced milk. Hence, there is a scope to further study potential interactions between the milking process and animal welfare in dairy sheep flocks. The specific objectives of this study were (i) the evaluation of the frequency of reactions potentially associated with the reduced welfare of dairy sheep during the milking process, (ii) the identification of predictors associated with the presence of these reactions, and (iii) the evaluation of associations with the quality of milk produced on a farm. The study was conducted in 52 dairy sheep farms in Greece. The farms were visited, and the milking process was observed and monitored, and the reactions of ewes during the milking process were recorded; samples from the bulk-tank milk were collected for somatic cell and total bacterial counting. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed. The median duration of milking per row was 7.9 min, and the median duration of the milking process was 105 min. The reaction observed less often from ewes was vocalisation (in 9.6% of farms), and the one observed more frequently was 'spot stepping' (in 98.1% of farms). In total, eight different predictors were identified for the displaying of the various reactions observed and recorded; of these, two were related to the milking parlour and six were related to the milking process. Moreover, three different predictors were identified for the milk quality parameters; of these, one was related to the milking parlour and two were related to the milking process. Finally, a mild correlation was seen between the proportion of ewes that attempted to remove the milking cluster, and the somatic cell counts in the bulk-tank milk (<i>p</i> = 0.023). The results confirmed that incorrect practices during machine-milking can be stress factors for dairy sheep. In light of the present findings, procedures by milkers should be carefully carried out, which will contribute to minimising the nervousness and aggravation of ewes during milking. Stress factors can adversely affect the quality of milk produced on the farm. The findings underline that maintenance of animal welfare is linked to high product quality. This connection can further extend to consumer perceptions: the ethical treatment of dairy sheep is considered as an important facet of the overall food quality and sustainable production.