A Salmonella infection in dairy cattle can have major financial consequences. According to a 2005 study by Royal GD, a clinical outbreak of Salmonella on a dairy farm with 100 dairy cows causes an average of €4,637 in losses (1). A Salmonella outbreak can have serious consequences within a short space of time. Animals become seriously ill or die. Effective disinfection of drinking water is a key step in preventing this from happening.

Symptoms of Salmonella in dairy cattle

A salmonella infection often progresses without any visible signs of illness. When animals do fall ill, adult cattle and calves may exhibit the following symptoms, amongst others:

  • High fever, sometimes reaching around 41 °C.
  • Diarrhoea, sometimes containing blood.
  • Miscarriage in pregnant cattle.
  • A sudden drop in milk production.
  • Growth retardation in calves.

A salmonella infection is not always immediately apparent. Dairy cattle may be infected without showing any clear signs of illness, and the symptoms listed above may also occur in other conditions.

Drinking water as a route of transmission

Salmonella can be transmitted to dairy cattle via contaminated drinking water. The bacterium can, for example, enter the water source, pipes or drinking troughs through contact with manure. The infection can then spread to several animals via the drinking water system (1,2). Good microbiological water quality helps to minimise this risk.

A proven system for cleaner drinking water

Good microbiological water quality is a key aspect of hygiene management on a dairy farm. The Watter system automatically produces a disinfectant on-site using water, salt and electricity. This disinfectant is more effective than conventional disinfectants and is added to the drinking water in a controlled manner to control microorganisms in the water.

The benefits of the Watter system:

Automatic production on the dairy farm
The Watter system produces the disinfectant directly on site. This ensures a constant supply of fresh disinfectant and reduces your reliance on the delivery and storage of ready-to-use products.

Effective at low concentrations
Our HOCl is approved for use in animal drinking water (PT5) and requires only a very low concentration to be effective (3).

Continuous treatment of drinking water
The Watter system dispenses the produced disinfectant into the drinking water in a controlled manner. In this way, the system helps to control microorganisms such as Salmonella in the water and to maintain the microbiological water quality on a long-term basis.

Measurable results
By carrying out water analyses before and during the use of the Watter system, the microbiological water quality can be monitored at various locations. This provides insight into the benefits of the treatment within the water system.

Dairy farmers’ experiences

The experiences below show how two dairy farms saw changes in their drinking water quality and salmonella contamination after the installation of the Watter system.

Johannes and Lammert de Jong 

“Since we’ve had the system, Salmonella has only been detected once”

Dairy farmers Johannes and Lammert de Jong from Doniaga keep around a hundred cows. After the farm had been facing recurring Salmonella problems, they installed the Watter system in 2018.

Samples were taken at two points in the water system during tests carried out before and after installation. Before installation, total bacterial counts of up to 61,000 cfu/ml were recorded. Around a month after installation, the readings at the two sampling points were less than 100 and 200 cfu/ml respectively.

According to Johannes, the drinking troughs and pipes quickly became cleaner and the visible film on the water disappeared. He also reports that the first salmonella test carried out after installation was negative.

Lees het volledige verhaal van Johannes en Lammert

Jan and Meindert Leijenaar

‘’67 per cent fewer cows testing positive’’

Dairy farmers Jan and Meindert Leijenaar from Tirns also use the Watter system for their drinking water system. In their customer story, they explain that the number of cows testing positive fell by 67 per cent within a year and a half. According to Meindert, no new cows tested positive during that period.

During a water test carried out before installation, total plate counts of 18,000 and 31,000 cfu/ml were recorded at two sampling points. In a test carried out after installation, the total plate count at both sampling points measured less than 100 cfu/ml.

Lees het volledige verhaal van Jan en Meindert

Would you like to know how the microbiological quality of the drinking water and the water system on your dairy farm can be improved?

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Sources: 

  1. Royal GD. “Salmonellose bij rundvee.” Gddiergezondheid.nl, z.d. www.gddiergezondheid.nl/nl/Diergezondheid/Dierziekten/Salmonellose-rund. Geraadpleegd op 6 oktober 2026.
  2. Velasquez-Munoz, A. et al. (2024). Review: Salmonella Dublin in dairy cattle. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 10, 1331767. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2023.1331767. 
  3. Watter BV (2024). Gebruikershandleiding Watter-systeem: Wettelijk Gebruiksvoorschrift PT5 (Toelatingsnummer 16301 N).