Award-Winning Dairy, Pork And Poultry Technology

In 2020, experts evaluated 80 entries into the Innovation awards of euroTier, the biennial dairy, pork and poultry technologies exhibition hosted by the German agricultural Society. The society’s Innovations Committee awarded only one gold and seven silver medals, and the winners were announced at an online press conference late last year. The corresponding euroTier and energyDecentral exhibition will take place digitally from 9 to 12 February 2021. To attend, register at eurotier.com/en. Lloyd Phillips reports.

- Lloyd Phillips

GOLD MEDAL: CowToilet by Hanskamp AgroTech

THE NETHERLANDS

The mixing of dung and urine in dairy operations where cattle are housed in sheds causes a reaction that releases ammonia into the air. Excessive ammonia is potentially harmful to the cattle and can result in nitrogen pollution when it settles in the environment.

To prevent this mixing from taking place, Hanskamp AgroTech’s CowToilet employs an innovative system whereby a dairy cow is stimulated to urinate into a collection container. Afterwards, the animal can defecate separately on the floor and existing manual or automated systems can collect the dung. The CowToilet comprises a free-standing cubicle in the shed. The cows are conditioned, using a small portion of feed, to visit this voluntarily whenever they need to urinate. Once the cow is in the cubicle, the CowToilet automatically extends its urine collection container to gently stimulate the nerves between the cow’s udder and vulva. This encourages the cow to urinate into the container, and the collected urine is then pumped away to a dedicated storage container. The separately stored dung and urine can be individually utilised as organic fertiliser and as feedstock in biogas production facilities.

A further advantage of the CowToilet is that the floor stays cleaner and drier, which contributes to healthier hooves. Email [e-mail]. Visit hanskamp. nl/en. Search ‘CowToilet’ on YouTube.