Robotic milking in Latvia: situation and perspective
2007
Laurs, A.
In recent years in countries with developed agriculture widely spreading is milking of cows with milking robots. This issue has become topical also in the Baltic countries. In Estonia already some robots are installed, but in Latvia they will be begun to be installed in 2007. Milking with robots essentially differs from traditional milking technologies; therefore introduction of first robots in Latvia may cause various difficulties and problems. Main such problems are - how to accustom the animal to the new type of milking, what a technology to choose in order to ensure a rational use of robots, how great number of cows in the herd is not suited to milking with robot and how many cows cannot be accustomed to come up to them. Moreover, unclear are issues related to operation of milking robots in open-type unheated cowsheds in Latvia winter conditions, when the temperature may lower below 0 deg C. Performed should be also researches of economic character in order to clarify whether the use of robots justifies itself, as well as clarified should be what a social motivation for the application of robots is. Such researches might be a basis for forecasts whether milking robots will further find a wide application in Latvia.
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