MILK PROCESS

The milking process comprises the following steps:

Pre-milking sterilisation and cleaning

Before milking, the udders and teats of milking cows are sprayed with sanitising fluids and wiped dry. The teat cups are also cleaned and sterilised before being attached to the udder. We also check the health of the cows before commencing milking. If the cows show any signs of illness, including mastitis, the cow will be quarantined and checked by our veterinarian.

Milking

Our cows are milked twice a day, at 5.00 am and 5.00 pm. We use automatic milking systems (produced by international manufacturers such as DeLaval and GEA) and the milking of each cow takes approximately two (2) to five (5) minutes, after which, the cows’ udders are treated with ointments to assist in recovery.

We sell approximately 96% of the raw milk produced by our herd, while the rest is either used to feed calves or disposed of due to their antibiotic content.

Cooling and collection

The raw milk is piped from the milk lines to tank coolers, which is cooled to three (3) degrees Celsius. The cooled raw milk is then pumped into our customer’s trucks which arrive daily at the farms for collection. Samples of the milk from each farm are analysed for quality and are sealed and stored in case any quality disputes arise with our customer. Our customer’s trucks are sealed at the farm before dispatch.

In general, our milk is sold on our dairy farms and transportation of the raw milk is undertaken by our customers.