Against a backdrop of long working hours, larger herds and difficulty sourcing labour, more and more Irish dairy farmers are turning to robotic milking. Since 2012, Lely Center Mullingar has earned a reputation as the leading robotic milking and feeding specialist in the East, Midlands and West.
Located in the heart of Ireland, Lely Center Mullingar offers sales and service of robotic milking systems, feeding and barn equipment. The company provides tailor-made solutions for dairy farmers, including in-house yard design, paddock mapping, project management, farm management support and 24/7 service and back-up.
One of four Lely Centres in Ireland, the Mullingar operation has managed robotic milking installations on both a small and large scale and prides itself on its technical knowledge, dedication and passion for dairy farming in an area encompassing all of Connacht, most of Leinster as well as Cavan and Monaghan, Clare and North Tipperary.
“Robotic milking is increasingly being viewed as the future of Irish dairy farming and we’re at the forefront of this rapidly-growing area,” Lely Center Mullingar sales director Niall McGauran proudly states.
“We’re a one-stop shop for all your robotic milking requirements. Since our formation in April 2012, we have evolved to provide a complete sales, installation and after-sales package for our customers. Our aim is to help them increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their farm from a productivity and financial perspective.
“We’re always at the end of the phone for our customers.”
Niall and his business partner Alan Heaney employ a dedicated team of eight full-time engineers who are located throughout their area, ensuring a fast and efficient service and back-up 365 days a year. Together with their sales support, in-house barn design expert and Grazing Management Support team, they offer a complete and on-going partnership to assist their Lely robot milking machines in achieving the best possible results for farmers.
Lely Center Mullingar’s sales team are passionate about dairy farming and farming automation. They have the knowledge, expertise and agricultural backgrounds to help you find the most efficient and profitable solutions to your farming problems. They make sure you get the full picture regarding the milking parlour options that are open to you and the possibilities surrounding farm automation, with a friendly and honest attitude.
When you choose a machine from Lely, you receive invaluable technical support. Lely Center Mullingar’s fully-certified service technicians are experts in the field of robotic milking machines and farm automation and are available around to the clock to offer personal assistance. All of Lely’s service points are full stocked with all required parts.
Lely Center Farm Management Support advisors will guide you before, during and after your start-up. This will assist with grassland management and paddock planning, maximising cow flow and ensuring clients are fully aware of how to get the best out of the system. Whatever solution you decide on, Lely’s support team will be ready to help you maximise your herd’s potential through robotic milking.
With their in-house Yard Designer and full-time Project Manager, Lely Center Mullingar makes certain that each Lely robotic milking machine installation is planned properly to ensure great cow flow, high animal welfare and maximum labour efficiency. Making sure that Lely milking robot location links properly into the farm grazing block is a vital consideration for a grass-based system and Lely have the expertise to manage this transition for you.
“We’re with the farmer every step of the way,” Niall explains.
“The process starts with me visiting the farm and deciding which system best suits the farm and the farmer. Our yard planner then carries out a survey and recommends where to position the robot. The project manager is then assigned to the job. We’re the farmer’s guiding hand from conception to completion.”
Last year, Lely celebrated 25 years since the first milk from its Astronaut robot system flowed into the milk tank. Since then, the Dutch-headquartered international company has installed over 600 robotic systems in Ireland with a further 250 planned for the next six months. Niall puts their recent surge in popularity down to factors such as the lifting of the EU milk quota, reduced labour demands and the fact that they are now more affordable.
“The abolition of milk quotas in 2015 was a huge game-changer for robotic milking,” he says.
“It has enabled dairy farmers to increase their herd size and others to get into milking. Lely has installed milking systems for Irish farmers whose herd sizes are between 40 and 600. Our customers average between 120 and 140 cows.
“One of the first robots we installed in 2012 was for JJ Hussey whose farm is in Castletown-Geoghegan near Mullingar. A lot of farmers were waiting to see how he got on and have since followed suit. Everyone knows someone with a Lely robot now. They’ve been installed in every county in Ireland with the exception of Dublin. A Lely robotic milking system can be leased for €40 per day on a 10-year scheme and a growing number are taking up this option.
“They improve a farmer’s quality of life due to reduced labour demands, freeing up more time for other things. Apart from milking, the robotic systems can collect useful data and information like each cow’s production, quality of milk, activity and rumination. Installing a robotic system nowadays costs about the same as a high-spec milking parlour. They’re not as expensive as people think and there are TAMS grants available to help with the cost.
“They’re a viable option for any dairy farmer.”
Lely Center Mullingar
‘Efficient Farm Solutions’
Unit 3,
The Parkway,
Mullingar Business Park,
Mullingar,
Co. Westmeath.
Telephone: 044 9330320
24-hour Service: 086 4667442
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.lely.com
Opening hours: 9am-5pm Monday to Friday
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 6 No 6, September/October 2018
