A new trial on robotic milking is about to start in Teagasc Moorepark. The new trial involving a Lely robot takes over from the previous trial with a Fullwood robot, which ran for three years and compared animal performance under different milking frequencies, along with a breed comparison.

The robot has been installed on the Kilworth farm and is expected to begin operation within the next few weeks. The trial is based on one robot milking 100 cows, split into two herds of 50 with two changes for each herd every 24 hours. So while the previous trial was on an A-B-C system, the new trial will be on two A-B systems, meaning four grazing areas will be required.

Researcher Padraig French says that the objective of the study is to optimise tonnes of grass utilised per robot. The trial will be managed by Eoghan O’Brien.

The Irish Farmers Journal understands that Teagasc has purchased the robot, but that part-funding for the trial will come from Lely.