Water testing

Dairy Shed Water Testing

Testing to determine whether the water used in a dairy shed is of suitable quality.

Taking a Sample | Guides and Supporting Information | Contact us Today

About this Testing

Water that comes into contact with milk during milking or as a result of cleaning the milking plant must comply with MAF Standard 106.2 to ensure that raw milk is safe from microbiological and physical contamination.

Test	ANZECC Trigger Value	Comment
Ecoli	absent in 100mL (<1mpn/100mL)	May be found in shallow bore water, or if water supply is not secure
Turbidity	< or equal to 5 NTU	High turbidity means that particles are present in the water. The particles may be indicative of dissolved species precipitating out of solution (e.g. oxidised iron), or high organic particulates.

Taking a Sample

When taking the sample, it is very important to follow the instructions provided, especially for the Ecoli test. This requires a sterile container (square plastic 400mL) and the tap needs to be sterilised to make sure that no contamination occurs. Also note that we need the samples back with 24 hours and less than 10°C, otherwise the results will not be valid. For clients who are not within easy driving distance from Hamilton or Christchurch, we suggest taking your sample in the early afternoon and sending it overnight to the laboratory.

Sampling equipment:

Request a Dairy Shed Kit from the Laboratory. It contains 2 sample containers which are required for one test, i.e. both containers should all be filled from the same sampling point, not from 2 different points

Unsure about the correct container to use to submit a sample? Consult our container guide

Guides and Supporting Information

Link to NZFSA DPC2: Animal Products (Dairy) Approved Criteria for Farm Dairies