Record success for dairy event at Stoneleigh Park
DAIRY-TECH was hailed as ‘the best event to date’ after record visitor numbers and exhibitors filled the halls at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, last week.
More than 7000 visitors passed through the gates to view some 320 exhibitor stands and a full seminar and demonstration programme, all showcasing the latest learning, innovation and technology in the sector. The day also played host to 80 new product launches.
Crowds packed the Dairy and Innovation Hubs, where topical discussions took place and showcased the latest innovations. Keynote speakers were Tom Bradshaw, NFU deputy president and RABDF chairman Di Wastenage, who discussed the state of the dairy industry, including the importance of food security, trade deals and government support.
The event also saw some prestigious awards presented. Outwith the prestigious Gold Cup, which was presented to the Logan family from Ayrshire, SmaXtec TruDrinking scooped the Royal Dairy Innovation Award.
TruDrinking was launched in November 2022 and is the first-of-itskind feature that measures the water consumption of cows that can immediately detect irregularities in water provision or cow health. The bolus also records inner body temperature, rumination and activity, giving dairy farmers the ability to identify any possible health issues in the cows long before visible signs may appear.
Competing as one of three finalists selected from a shortlist of 25 entries, SmaXtec’s global sales director, Chris Howarth, collected the award, judged by Tim Downes, CIEL’s head of innovation, Dr Mark Young, CIEL and Michael Halliwell, commercial director of last year’s winning product, Cattle Eye.
“The judging panel were excited about the TruDrinking technology as a way of monitoring water intake and also temperature and saw this when linked to the SmaXtec app as being a great tool for early detection of both sickness and calving,” said Tim Downes, head of innovation at CIEL.
“Being able to check if cows are drinking sufficient water has a huge impact on milk yield and cow health. In a strong lineup of entries this was a worthy winner of the RABDF Dairy Innovation Award and was well received by the audience who wanted to know more.”
Rebecca Smith, from Harper Adams University, won the Dairy Student Award, while Jack Rust from Bristol Vet School, Marley Lamerton from Harper Adams University and Laura Butt from Duchy College landed the vet, agricultural college and agricultural universities Farm Health Management award categories.
Commenting on the show, RABDF managing director Matthew Knight said: “The show was our best and most successful Dairy-Tech. There was a definite buzz on the show floor, with no spare seats or standing room for many Dairy and Innovation Hub sessions.
“Despite optimism in the sector over the past nine months, there is much uncertainty with milk price cuts, high input costs remaining, labour issues and increasing pressure to reduce emissions. Visitors had a definite requirement to understand better the market situation and how they can manage such pressures.”
Mr Knight added: “The new Lameness Village attracted many visitors, with foot trimming demonstrations taking place throughout the day. We will definitely look to build on it next year as more focus is placed on this important issue.”