Responsible Use of Dry Cow Antibiotic Treatments in New Zealand

the way veterinarians authorise dry cow antibiotics is changing as a new zealand dairy farmer, you already know how important dry off management is for setting up production for next season this new approach will continue to support your focus on low somatic cell counts (scc), mastitis prevention, and milk yield and quality, while protecting the effectiveness of antibiotics for the future when does this start? your vet will start working with you from the 2026 dry off season the veterinary council of new zealand (vet council)\[i] and dairy cattle veterinarians (dcv)\[ii] have updated the approach to dry cow antibiotic authorisation, after working with veterinarians and consulting with dairy industry stakeholders this supports the new zealand antimicrobial resistance action plan and encourages a stronger focus on prevention and long term udder health why this matters protecting antibiotics that work using antibiotics in healthy cows unnecessarily increases the risk of bacteria becoming resistant to them, making mastitis harder and more expensive to treat treating only the cows that need antibiotics helps protect their effectiveness for the future protecting our markets and reputation new zealand’s open, transparent food systems underpin global confidence in our dairy exports responsible antibiotic use, supported by selective dry cow therapy and udder health planning, helps preserve that trust and maintain our premium market positioning protecting community and environmental health antibiotics are essential medicines — for your cows, your children and grandchildren, and your community when antibiotics are used unnecessarily in healthy cows, bacteria may develop resistance, putting animal, human, and environmental health at risk why veterinarians believe this is important veterinarians want the same outcome as farmers healthy cows with fewer underlying diseases, fewer mastitis cases, and lower reliance on antibiotics there is compelling evidence (research and on farm) that selective dcat works and maintains scc outcomes a stronger focus on prevention, good record keeping, and individualised udder health plans means fewer cows need antibiotics at dry‑off this protects antibiotic effectiveness for the future, improves long‑term herd health, and supports better outcomes for cows, farmers, and the dairy industry what is selective dry cow treatment? selective dry cow treatment means treating only the cows that need antibiotics at dry off (those that show evidence of infection), rather than routinely treating the whole herd decisions are based on each cow’s actual infection status, using herd test data and mastitis records the great news is that most farms are already on this journey cows that are healthy at dry off do not benefit from dry cow antibiotics for these cows, an internal teat sealant (its) provides effective protection against new infection during the dry period, without using antibiotics your vet will use your herd test records and mastitis history to identify which cows are likely to be infected and genuinely need treatment this evidence based approach means antibiotics are used where they work, and resources are not spent treating cows that don’t need them what this means for your farm to prepare for the 2026 dry off season step 1 — keep good records continue regular herd testing through the season record all clinical mastitis cases and note which cows received treatment during lactation step 2 — target an optimal bulk milk somatic cell count (bmscc) work with your vet to develop an udder health plan your vet will work with you to develop an individualised udder health plan for your farm to keep your bmscc in an optimal range, including • a review of your herd test results • identifying which cows need dry cow antibiotics and which will benefit from teat sealant only • developing a mastitis management plan for your farm step 3 — follow the plan and monitor results apply treatments as recommended, implement the management improvements in your udder health plan, and monitor for any mastitis cases over the dry period learn more and get support your veterinarian is your first point of contact talk to them before your next dry off to develop an udder health plan tailored to your herd additional resources • vet council website vetcouncil org nz • dairynz smartsamm technote 14 — drying off dairynz co nz/animal/cow health/mastitis/ questions? contact your veterinarian or visit the vet council website for more information \[i] the veterinary council of new zealand (vet council) the veterinary council of new zealand is the independent regulatory body for veterinarians it sets professional standards and requirements to ensure veterinarians practise safely, responsibly, and in the best interests of animal health, farmers, and the wider community these standards apply when veterinarians authorise and prescribe antibiotics for dairy cattle \[ii] dairy cattle veterinarians (dcv) dairy cattle veterinarians is new zealand’s largest professional group representing veterinarians who work with dairy farmers dcv supports best‑practice herd health, mastitis prevention, and responsible antibiotic use, and works closely with the vet council and industry partners to help veterinarians and farmers achieve healthy cows and sustainable dairy systems