New features and previous options now included as standard have been introduced by DeLaval for the 2025-spec V300 voluntary milking system.

The main physical change is to the box that cows enter to be milked – it is bigger on the latest version to accommodate a wider range of cow breeds and sizes without it being a bit of a squeeze for larger individuals.

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A new function is “flow-responsive milking”, which is designed to maintain a consistent preset vacuum at the teat end, regardless of the milk-flow rate from individual teats.

Apart from welfare benefits, trial users have reported time savings of up to 40 seconds a cow per milking, says DeLaval.

Although that does not sound significant, accumulatively the time can be used for more milkings a cow, more cows a VMS station or more idle time to help preserve the equipment.

The feature is now included as standard and from the fourth quarter of 2025 will be available as an upgrade to V300 units already installed.

Health benefits

New add-ons include Milk Cell Analysis, a sensing system that uses advanced optical technology to monitor udder health and count somatic cells in milk.

It should help improve udder health management and milk quality, says DeLaval, and provide early detection of subclinical mastitis, help in making drying-off decisions and reduce unnecessary antibiotic treatments.

In addition, new V300 systems can be linked to DeLaval Plus digital services to enhance performance monitoring and control with premium management tools, analytics, and predictions.