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By Joanne Sharpe, a PhD student in the Animal Behaviour and Welfare Research Group

When I started my PhD, I never imagined that my research would lead me to New Zealand! 

The first part of my study was an online survey with dairy farmers and by chance, it was spotted on LinkedIn, and I was asked if I could present my findings at the 4^th International Precision Dairy Farming Conference in Christchurch in December 2025. 

That connection was the catalyst for a collaboration with DairyNZ which led to my field trip to New Zealand.

Both David Rose and I presented at the conference, which was an amazing event bringing together researchers, the agricultural industry and dairy farmers to hear the latest science and learn more how digital technology is being put into practice on dairy farms.  I also attended two DairyNZ research workshops; one with dairy farmers and the other with researchers and industry professionals.  In between all of this I conducted interviews on 12 dairy farms; talking to farmers about they use digital technologies. It was fascinating listening to their experiences, and it adds to the learning from my interviews with UK farmers; hopefully we can share some of the knowledge gained between countries shortly.

Presenting at the 4^th International Precision Dairy Farming Conference, Christchurch

Dairy farming in New Zealand has many similarities with the UK, but also some key differences.  Cows are outdoors all year round on nearly all farms, and in the most-part the farm itself consists only of ‘the shed’ – a milking parlour situated in the centre of the farm, with all the fields rotated around it – some parlours are herringbone, but many now are rotary.  Most herds are block-calving in the Spring – this routine gives farm workers some well-deserved time off every year and many farm owners said they wouldn’t change this!

Dairy farming in New Zealand is still experiencing growth – with new entrants and new farms commonplace.  It is estimated that 95 per cent of all the milk produced is exported, with only 5 per cent used for domestic consumption. Agriculture is New Zealand’s biggest industry – unlike other countries they do not have industry focused on minerals or fuels etc. so agriculture is very important and well supported.

In South Island, the Canterbury Plains were once beef and sheep lands, but now it is home to dairy farms for as far as you can see.  The transformation has happened over the past 20+ years, which began when the Government granted the extraction of water for irrigation.  Dairy farms irrigate pasture for six months of the year.  Average herd sizes in this region are approximately 700-800 cows. In the North Island, farms tend to be smaller, more traditional family farms – but cow numbers often average 300-400 cows, so still large farms. 

Cows graze all year round, with irrigation systems running for 6 months of the year

One thing that was quite striking was the opportunities for new entrants and progression in dairy farming in New Zealand.  Many start as ‘contract milkers’ and work their way to ‘share milking’ –  a system where the farm manager will own the cows and machinery and the profits then split between the farm manager and farm owner.  There is also the option to then move on to farm ownership – either purchasing a farm or buying into a family farm.  Several of the farmers that I spoke to had gone through this full process – it was great to see that a business model existed that allowed farmers to generate a return and invest in farm ownership.  In New Zealand, most of the milk is bought by two major companies and milk is purchased on milk solids rather than ppl, as it is mostly dried and exported.

During my time I visited dairy farms using precision livestock farming (PLF) technologies i.e. those that monitor individual cows 24/7, to learn how they had impacted farm work and animal welfare.  Several of the technologies are the same as we have in the UK, which include neck collars, ear tags and rumen boluses.  In New Zealand they also have virtual fencing – which again is a neck collar, but it has the added functionality of GPS navigation and as the name suggests, it can be used to create virtual fences, removing the need for electric fences and has pasture management tools to help farmers maximise the production of milk from grass.

Cows grazing close to their ‘virtual fence’ boundary

I’ve still to fully analyse the interview data, but there were some interesting initial findings that stuck in my mind.  One that was mentioned by the users of virtual fencing was a reduction in lameness – due to absence of human intervention to move cows. Instead, the collar would use sounds and vibrations to alert the cows to head in for milking – the cows soon learnt these signals and the technology directed them where to go.  The cows move at their own pace, rather than being herded in – which farmers say has dramatically reduced foot problems.

A typical ‘shed’ on the dairy farm – the milking parlour and collecting yard

Also, the benefit to the work-life balance that all the technologies brought was clear – farmers felt able to take more physical time away from the farm – the technology was monitoring constantly, so they could still be there if needed.  This was important for family life, but also many said that the cows were much more content and didn’t relate seeing the farmer to the expectation that something was going to happen to them.  I saw it for myself as we headed into the fields of cows, the human-animal interactions were more relaxed and natural – it was purely observational visits, rather than to do anything with them.

I did manage to get some sight-seeing in during my evenings and the two weekends I had – including a visit to the glow-worm caves and the volcanic region of Rotorua in North Island and Arthurs Pass and around Christchurch in South Island.  I even managed to see some of the now rare Kiwis (although they were in a reserve).

Me enjoying some free time visiting Rotorua at the volcanic hot springs

I am looking forward to analysing both the UK and NZ dairy farm interviews to delve deeper in to all the impacts technology has had on animal welfare and the human aspect of dairy farming – both good and bad.  This work is extremely valuable to ensure responsible innovation and application of technology on dairy farms for the benefit of humans and non-humans.  The New Zealand visit has both inspired and motivated me and I would like to thank my supervisors, Gemma Charlton and David Rose and Hayley Everett for their support and helping make this happen.  Also, a special thank you to the DairyNZ team – without them none of this would have been possible.