Profitability of and Reasons for Adopting Automatic Milking Systems

Adopting an automatic milking system (AMS) on a dairy farm decreases the hours spent on animal husbandry by approximately 30 per cent. When comparing a milking parlour and the AM-system, the main economic benefit clearly results from the decrease in labour costs in automatic milking. In terms of economic profitability, the net profit in AM-system remains above that of the milking parlour system. On dairy farms the main reasons for adopting automatic milking are linked to the workload and physical loading. A more flexible working time distributes the workload evenly during busy cultivation periods. More flexible leisure time is also important. Producers also want to enhance the welfare and health of the animals by increasing the milking frequency of highly productive cows.