The Hannah Dairy Research Foundation has awarded more than £59,000 in funding to studies focusing on dairy cattle health and welfare.

The projects will focus on mammary gland biology, mastitis and calf health and welfare.

Three research projects focusing on dairy cattle health and welfare have received more than £59,000 in funding from the Hannah Dairy Research Foundation (HDRF).

Conducted by the Moredun Research Institute, Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) and the University of Glasgow, the projects will concentrate on mammary gland biology, mastitis and calf health and welfare.

The HDRF is a charity that aims to help researchers develop projects that are relevant to Scottish dairy farmers.

Professor Dave Roberts, chair of the HDRF, said of the funding: “We have increased the number of research grants we funded in the last 12 months as we are receiving high-quality research proposals. Each project also has clear plans to communicate the results to the dairy industry, and reports will be available on the HDRF website.”

The successful projects are as follows:

• the development of ruminant mammary organoids to facilitate the study of mammary gland biology in vitro
• the fungal milk microbiome of dairy cattle and its implications on mastitis
• identifying critical control points for colostrum contamination and Mycoplasma prevalence in first milking colostrum from Scottish dairy herds.