Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice of bovine mastitis among dairy cattle farmers in Kelantan and Pahang

Dairy cattle milk is a significant source of protein and a rapidly growing industry in Malaysia, particularly in states such as Kelantan and Pahang. However, mastitis remains a considerable challenge, reducing milk yield and quality. Research on farmers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding mastitis in this region is limited. This study aimed to assess KAP among dairy farmers toward bovine mastitis. A validated cross-sectional survey was conducted online and via face-to-face interviews with 20 dairy farmers, using convenience sampling and snowball sampling methods. Data were analysed descriptively, and associations were assessed using Fisher’s Exact Test and Pearson’s correlation in IBM SPSS Statistics version 30. Most respondents were male (n = 15, 75%) and aged 18 – 30 years (n = 11, 55%), with the majority working on intensive farms (n = 17, 85%) and farms with herd size more than 50 (n = 11, 55%). Lameness (n = 16, 80%) and mastitis (n = 15, 75%) were the most commonly reported health problems. Nearly half of the farmers (n = 9, 45%) were unaware that subclinical mastitis may occur without clinical signs. Most farmers (n = 12, 60%) agreed that treatment should only be prescribed by licensed veterinarians, while 8 (40%) remained neutral. Milk quality testing was infrequent, with 10% (n = 10) never testing and 50% (n = 10) routinely performing the California Mastitis Test. Overall, all respondents demonstrated good knowledge (n = 20, 100%) and attitude (n = 20, 100%), while (n = 7, 35%) exhibited poor practice. Significant associations were found between sociodemographic and farm factors, such as the education level (p < 0.001), years of experience (p < 0.001), role in the farm (p < 0.001), herd size (p < 0.001), and the management system (p < 0.001), with KAP scores (p < 0.001). Still, there are no significant correlations between knowledge, attitude, and practice (p > 0.05). These findings highlight the need for targeted educational and training programmes to improve farmers’ awareness and implementation of mastitis prevention, subclinical detection, and diagnostic screening.