Livestock Event: two live robotic dems - for dairy and beef

Livestock farmers will be able to find out more about robotics by visiting two live demonstrations staged at the Livestock Event, at The NEC, Birmingham on Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9 July.

The award winning live robotic milking and feeding demonstration is returning with 40 cows milked through a Lely Astronaut A4 robotic milking system, whilst the Lely Vector automatic feeding system will ensure they have continual access to a mixed ration in the feed passage.

New for this year is the UK’s first ever live demonstration of loose housed beef finishing cattle fed by a Lely Vector automatic system.

Lely’s Tomás Cooney comments: “We were excited by the level of enthusiasm shown by farmers for milking and feeding robots at last year’s event, in fact the demonstration proved to be the most popular by over 50% of visitors. That interest is continuing to grow in automated systems not only from dairy which is why we’re returning, but also beef farmers so we are staging another first at Livestock Event, this time automatic feeding of finishing cattle.”

Livestock Event director, Matt Knight adds: “Robotics now account for over one third of new parlour installations and they are scheduled to take a bigger market share. Those dairy farmers who are still weighing up the options would do well to visit the event and watch the live demonstration in order to make a more informed decision. For beef farmers, then we will be pleased to introduce them to a new way of operating which is starting to be successfully taken up in Europe.”

Acutely aware of the UK dairy industry’s extraordinary difficult times, the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers, is providing every UK dairy farm, all 13,500, with the opportunity to book a FREE ticket prior to the event. All farmers will also have the opportunity to purchase additional tickets for partners and herdsmen at a 25% reduction on the gate price.