Three finalists have been shortlisted for this year’s Royal Dairy Innovation Award and will be vying for the prestigious title when it is judged at this year’s Dairy-Tech event on 7 April at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire.
The finalists have been selected from more than xxx entries made by an online submission to the RABDF.
The Award sponsored by the Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Livestock (CIEL) is presented to a company exhibiting at this year’s Dairy-Tech with a practical product or service, which is likely to be the most significant innovation for the future of dairying.
This year’s finalist includes
Cattle Eye- is an autonomous livestock welfare and performance monitoring product that is the world’s first hardware-independent autonomous livestock monitoring platform on the market. This means no hardware or devices need to be attached to the cow. Cattle Eye can be used to detect locomotion deviations, which are highly correlated to lameness in dairy cows. The product is thought to be the first to undergo successful academic validation by a leading UK university.
DigiFarm Data Tool – is a web-based solution for Vetpartners vets, vet staff and farm clients which integrates clinical and farm management records. DigiFarm brings together milk records and health data to create unique reports that both vets and farmers can use. Sharing data allows a collaborative approach that creates joined-up thinking between the whole farm team and their advisors. This promotes real-time on-farm proactive discussions and informs management decisions that can help improve herd health, increase sustainability and build resilience.
· DeLaval Flow Responsive™ Milking uses actual milk flow to adjust milking parameters like vacuum and pulsation to create a more efficient milk flow profile. The flow-adjusted vacuum speeds up the milk extraction by lifting the vacuum level when high milk flow is available and then reducing the level again once the high flow has ended. This avoids the inevitable trade-off between udder health and productivity created by a fixed vacuum level over the entire milking process.
The three finalists will be asked to present their product at Dairy-Tech to a panel of three independent judges. They are dairy farmer and competition chair Tim Downes, CIEL Chief Executive Lyndsay Chapman and Michael Marsden. The winner will be announced at 3.45pm on the Innovation Hub stand.
The winner will receive a signed framed certificate and trophy from the Princess Royal later this year.