Sample collection for BrBME tests

Information related to milk sample collection for Brucellosis tests.

The vast majority of dairy farms have their milk collected by one of the large dairies which supply the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) with monthly milk samples for Brucellosis testing. The majority of these draw off a sample of milk while the milk tanker pumps milk out of the bulk tank. These samples, contained in small snap-top containers, are sent by the Dairies to DARD's Veterinary Sciences Division laboratories at Stormont.

Dairies based in the Republic of Ireland decant milk samples from their Northern Ireland suppliers into 'deep well blocks' which take up much less space than the original containers. These deep well blocks are then sent to the Stormont labs.

A few dairy farms do not have their milk collected by the larger dairies. In such cases, DARD staff visit these farms monthly to collect samples which are then processed in the usual way.