diff --git a/controller/mac-cache.c b/controller/mac-cache.c
index 861cfa62ab..d00b571f77 100644
--- a/controller/mac-cache.c
+++ b/controller/mac-cache.c
@@ -267,22 +267,6 @@ mac_bindings_to_string(const struct hmap *map, struct ds *out_data)
     }
 }
 
-bool
-sb_mac_binding_updated(const struct sbrec_mac_binding *mb)
-{
-    bool updated = false;
-    for (size_t i = 0; i < SBREC_MAC_BINDING_N_COLUMNS; i++) {
-        /* Ignore timestamp update as this does not affect the existing nodes
-         * at all. */
-        if (i == SBREC_MAC_BINDING_COL_TIMESTAMP) {
-            continue;
-        }
-        updated |= sbrec_mac_binding_is_updated(mb, i);
-    }
-
-    return updated || sbrec_mac_binding_is_deleted(mb);
-}
-
 const struct sbrec_mac_binding *
 mac_binding_lookup(struct ovsdb_idl_index *sbrec_mac_binding_by_lport_ip,
                    const char *logical_port, const char *ip) {
@@ -354,22 +338,6 @@ fdb_find(const struct hmap *map, const struct fdb_data *fdb_data)
     return NULL;
 }
 
-bool
-sb_fdb_updated(const struct sbrec_fdb *fdb)
-{
-    bool updated = false;
-    for (size_t i = 0; i < SBREC_FDB_N_COLUMNS; i++) {
-        /* Ignore timestamp update as this does not affect the existing nodes
-         * at all. */
-        if (i == SBREC_FDB_COL_TIMESTAMP) {
-            continue;
-        }
-        updated |= sbrec_fdb_is_updated(fdb, i);
-    }
-
-    return updated || sbrec_fdb_is_deleted(fdb);
-}
-
 void
 fdbs_clear(struct hmap *map)
 {
diff --git a/controller/mac-cache.h b/controller/mac-cache.h
index 9c30f7df5d..70fa215257 100644
--- a/controller/mac-cache.h
+++ b/controller/mac-cache.h
@@ -163,8 +163,6 @@ bool mac_binding_data_from_sbrec(struct mac_binding_data *data,
 void mac_bindings_clear(struct hmap *map);
 void mac_bindings_to_string(const struct hmap *map, struct ds *out_data);
 
-bool sb_mac_binding_updated(const struct sbrec_mac_binding *mb);
-
 const struct sbrec_mac_binding *
 mac_binding_lookup(struct ovsdb_idl_index *sbrec_mac_binding_by_lport_ip,
                    const char *logical_port, const char *ip);
@@ -179,8 +177,6 @@ bool fdb_data_from_sbrec(struct fdb_data *data, const struct sbrec_fdb *fdb);
 
 struct fdb *fdb_find(const struct hmap *map, const struct fdb_data *fdb_data);
 
-bool sb_fdb_updated(const struct sbrec_fdb *fdb);
-
 void fdbs_clear(struct hmap *map);
 
 /* MAC binding stat processing. */
diff --git a/controller/ovn-controller.c b/controller/ovn-controller.c
index 3856ae4193..1e6f1e6bc0 100644
--- a/controller/ovn-controller.c
+++ b/controller/ovn-controller.c
@@ -3163,10 +3163,6 @@ mac_cache_sb_mac_binding_handler(struct engine_node *node, void *data)
 
     const struct sbrec_mac_binding *sbrec_mb;
     SBREC_MAC_BINDING_TABLE_FOR_EACH_TRACKED (sbrec_mb, mb_table) {
-        if (!sb_mac_binding_updated(sbrec_mb)) {
-            continue;
-        }
-
         if (!sbrec_mac_binding_is_new(sbrec_mb)) {
             mac_binding_remove_sb(cache_data, sbrec_mb);
         }
@@ -3204,10 +3200,6 @@ mac_cache_sb_fdb_handler(struct engine_node *node, void *data)
     struct local_datapath *local_dp;
     const struct sbrec_fdb *sbrec_fdb;
     SBREC_FDB_TABLE_FOR_EACH_TRACKED (sbrec_fdb, fdb_table) {
-        if (!sb_fdb_updated(sbrec_fdb)) {
-            continue;
-        }
-
         if (!sbrec_fdb_is_new(sbrec_fdb)) {
             fdb_remove_sb(cache_data, sbrec_fdb);
         }
@@ -5034,6 +5026,12 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[])
                          &sbrec_chassis_private_col_nb_cfg);
     ovsdb_idl_omit_alert(ovnsb_idl_loop.idl,
                          &sbrec_chassis_private_col_nb_cfg_timestamp);
+    /* Omit the timestamp columns of the MAC_Binding and FDB tables.
+     * ovn-controller doesn't need to react to changes in timestamp
+     * values (it does read them to implement aging).  Therefore we
+     * can disable change tracking and alerting for these columns. */
+    ovsdb_idl_omit_alert(ovnsb_idl_loop.idl, &sbrec_mac_binding_col_timestamp);
+    ovsdb_idl_omit_alert(ovnsb_idl_loop.idl, &sbrec_fdb_col_timestamp);
 
     /* Omit the external_ids column of all the tables except for -
      *  - DNS. pinctrl.c uses the external_ids column of DNS,