Keeley runs a 300-cow herd in Rotorua. His teat spray was iodine-based, requiring emollient to be mixed in separately. Notably, his SCC was already sitting at an acceptable level - this wasn't a farm chasing an SCC problem.

The Issue

The switch wasn't prompted by udder health at all. It was a human health issue, specifically Keeley's hands. Iodine teat sprays are acidic by nature, and repeated contact with the mix was causing painful blisters on Keeley's hands.

The Change

Keeley switched from iodine to Deosan Teat X. The blisters stopped almost immediately. Problem solved, right away.

The SCC Surprise

Here's where it gets interesting. Keeley wasn't expecting any SCC movement, his numbers were already fine. That's what makes the result that followed so significant: it shows that "acceptable" SCC isn't the same as "no more room to improve." There can be real gains sitting untapped even in herds that already look fine on paper.

Keeley has now been using Teat X for 10 years, applying it at a 1:4 mixing rate all season long. Over that time, he's consistently kept his SCC low - with last season delivering an excellent result of 20,000 SCC, against a seasonal average of 40,000 to 50,000. It's a result he's proud of, and one we're proud to have played a part in.

Teat X also cut out the emollient-mixing step the iodine system required - less prep, less handling, less time spent on an extra job that Teat X makes unnecessary.

Keeley set out to fix a skin problem caused by an acidic iodine spray and ended up with an SCC he never saw coming. Ten years on, he's sustained an excellent SCC result season after season - proof of what's possible even on farms that weren't dealing with an obvious udder health issue to begin with.