| abstract |
An apparatus for cleaning and pre-milking a teat of a milking animal prior to the milking animal being milked comprises a teat cleaning and pre-milking device (51) having cleaning means and pre-milking means, wherein, during cleaning and pre-milking, the teat of the animal is exposed to the cleaning and pre-milking means. The apparatus comprises further means (60; 84) for establishing that milk is actually extracted from the teat of the milking animal during the cleaning and pre-milking, means (62; 84) for measuring a quality, preferably a somatic cell count value, of the milk extracted from the teat of the animal during the cleaning and pre-milking, means for comparing the measured quality of the milk with a reference quality value, and means for indicating, depending on the comparison, whether or not milk drawn from the teat of the animal during a subsequent milking should be mixed with milk drawn from another animal. |