Zambeef Products’ Kalundu Dairy Farm has completed construction of a modern rotary milking parlour in Chisamba, Zambia.

Built with an investment of $1.5m, the new facility will allow the food processing and retailing company the capacity to milk up to 2,500 cows a day.

Zambeef's retailing, marketing, and corporate affairs head Felix Lupindula said: “This is an exciting chapter in Zambeef’s history and in the wider industry, and more so for Zambeef.

“The new systems and technologies will enable the management of larger herds, which is important for efficiency and growth in the industry.”

"The new systems and technologies will enable the management of larger herds, which is important for efficiency and growth in the industry."

The new facility is equipped with computerised sensors to assist Zambeef’s veterinary department and staff in identifying areas that require attention. A transponder fitted to the cow collects data on the status of its well-being at every milking session.

As part of its bio-security measures, the company has installed closed herd system at the parlour to prevent animal-to-animal or human-to-animal transmissions of disease.

The parlour features a single entry and exit point, where the cows walk onto a rotating platform. This then carries them to the operator to carry out the milking process.

When operating at full capacity, the rotary plant will enable Zambeef to produce as much as 60,000l of milk a day, which will be transferred to the company’s 100,000l installed capacity processing plant at Huntley Farm.