DeLaval has been presented with the RABDF Prince Philip Award by His Royal Highness at Buckingham Palace, this week. The honour was made to the global dairy equipment company for research and development in the field of dairy farming and the most practical, relevant and best technical exhibit at Livestock Event 2015.
His Royal Highness presents the RABDF HRH Prince Philip Award to DeLaval’s Kieran FitzGerald, with right, Joanna FitzGerald and Peter and Sheila Cox who manage a 130 cow herd at Stoke Climsland, Cornwall and were the first producers to install Herd Navigator.
“We feel honoured and privileged to win this award for Herd Navigator, a new dairy herd management system, designed to provide producers with an enhanced overview of their entire herd whilst offering information on individual cows,” commented DeLaval’s Kieran FitzGerald VMS Solution manager.
“Herd Navigator represents a quantum leap in the development of proactive herd management with equipment for making in-line measurements in the milking system. Based on measurements of four central parameters in milk and with sophisticated results processing in biometric models along with other herd and individual cow information, Herd Navigator will assist the farmer in taking preventive measures within reproduction, udder health - mastitis, feeding and feeding-related conditions.
“Herd Navigator offers 95% heat detection and information on reproduction efficiency and prolonged anoestrus leading to reduced open days together with ketosis and mastitis detection.”
A Certificate of Merit was awarded to Dairy Spares with its Moover exhibit, an orthopedic cow shoe for alleviating pressure on damaged claw. The shoe was both designed and manufactured by Moowell.
His Royal Highness presents the RABDF HRH Prince Philip Certificate of Merit to Dairy Spares’ Jeff Radnor with left, Moover Orthopaedic Cow Shoe designers, Michael Brimble and hoof trimmer, Robert Todd.
RABDF president, Prof David Leaver said: “The RABDF Prince Philip Award is for innovations in the field of dairy farming and the industry benefits greatly from such R&D developments by supply companies like DeLaval and Dairy Spares. The new products developed by these companies clearly have the potential to increase the productivity of dairy farming in the UK, and to improve our competitiveness in the global marketplace.”
RABDF will once again be staging the RABDF Prince Philip Award at the Livestock Event 2015, to be held at The NEC, Birmingham on 6 and 7 July.