DairyRobot makes New Zealand debut at Fieldays 2025

GEA Farm Technologies showcased its DairyRobot milking system at Fieldays 2025, giving New Zealand farmers their first opportunity to experience the future of pasture-based dairy automation in action.

A demonstration unit was specially shipped to NZ for the event, alongside a virtual reality experience that allowed farmers to explore the system in both voluntary and batch milking environments.

It was the first time GEA’s DairyRobot was seen in this country.

DairyRobot is now available here, and combines high-performance automation with traditional dairy farming practices, the company says.

Designed specifically for Kiwi conditions, the system supports both batch and voluntary milking systems to offer flexibility, efficiency, and control.

With a compact footprint, it can be retrofitted into existing infrastructure with minimal disruption.

“You really need to see it to fully understand the difference this system could make to your milking routine. It is fast, efficient and clean, creating a more sustainable milking system for your farm,” says Craig Lowry, head of sales and service, GEA Farm Technologies NZ.

DairyRobot also provides easy access behind the cow at any time, allowing farmers to manually cup, check, treat or dry off cows.

At the core of the system is GEA’s In-Liner Everything technology, which completes every step of the milking process, including stimulation, cleaning, milking, teat spraying, and rinsing, all in one seamless cup attachment.

It also offers individual quarter milking, somatic cell count management, and real-time data collection, giving farmers better visibility and control over herd health and productivity, Lowry says.

Australian dairy farmer Michael Krichauff, who milks 210 cows at Three Bridges Robotic Dairy in South Australia, has been using GEA’s R9500 voluntary system with three robot boxes.

“We really liked the idea of a pit and the ability to manually put cups on a cow. We can go in behind the cow safely, press a button, and manually put the cups on if we have to,” he says.

“Aside from some pipework and a little concreting, we managed to use all our existing facilities. A highlight with GEA was the option of multi-sized cows in the one box—we’ve got three different sizes we can use.”

“The ability to manage cell count with individual quarter management is far better than anything I’ve seen elsewhere. And GEA was the only provider that offered a good herd testing system. We just plug it in, press ‘herd test,’ go home for the night, and the next day all the samples are ready to go.”

Craig Lowry says the technology is brand new to NZ, is tailored for farms of all sizes and combines advanced automation with traditional farming practices to meet the unique needs of Kiwi farmers.

“Our automatic milking systems are designed to help NZ farmers embrace the future of dairy farming without losing the essence of what makes their operations unique.

“By combining automation with pasture-based principles, we’re offering tools that increase efficiency and sustainability while keeping farmers in control.”