Labour shortages are one of the biggest challenges facing UK dairy farms in 2025. Rising costs, fewer available workers, and increasingly complex rules around immigration mean that every pair of hands counts. But what if your farm could do more with fewer staff while boosting productivity and improving welfare? Automation is the key—and here’s how Mill Dairy Service is bringing solutions to your doorstep.
A popular tool in modern dairy barns is the robotic feed pusher, like the JOZ Moov 2.0/Pro. It ensures that feed is always within reach of your herd, 24/7. Studies show this increases feed intake and milk production—while reducing labour time spent manually pushing feed
Farmers report reclaiming hours each day:
“The feed pusher robot has been excellent…frequency of feeding has been increased…”
Integrating JOZ manure scrapers alongside feed pushers ensures alleys remain clean automatically—freeing up your team so they can focus on health checks and herd care.
Detecting cows in heat is vital—but also time‑consuming. Afifarm’s AfiAct II, AfiAct III and AfiCollar and AfiTag systems use sensors on legs or necks to monitor activity, rumination, and rest patterns 24/7. The system flags potential heats, calving events, and illness—saving manual rounds and guesswork .
Research shows fewer “open days” and reduced culling when using these systems. And, of course, fewer staff hours chasing cows means less stress all round.
Bringing cows for treatment or insemination is one of the most labour‑intensive farm tasks. AfiSort automates this with precision: once cows with specific needs are identified via AfiFarm, they’re routed via automatic gates to pens or treatment areas. This reduces staff handling time, lowers stress for your cows, and improves herd flow.
All Afimilk technology—heat detection, sorting, feeding data—feeds into AFIFarm, the central dashboard. From daily fertility reports to health alerts and walklists for insemination, you can manage everything from an office or even mobile phone. It’s automation without complexity—and we can support system setup and training.
Here’s what automation brings to your farm:
Yes, automation equipment requires investment—but help is out there:
At Mill Dairy Service, we don’t just sell parts—we partner with farms. Here’s how we support your automation journey:
Labour challenges aren’t going away—but automation helps you work smarter, not harder. With JOZ feed pushers and scrapers, Afimilk’s heat detection and AfiSort, your team can focus on what matters: animal health, production, and profitability.
Ready to explore automation on your farm?
Contact Mill Dairy Service today for a free audit, demo, and grant‑assistance session. Let’s build a smarter, more efficient farm—together.
