Milk quality with ease

Farm dairy hygiene has become a whole lot simpler and safer for Canterbury dairy farmer Phillip Harrison and his staff thanks to Ecolab’s new world-first, Next Gen Solids cleaning technology.

Phillip contract milks 470 cows near Clandeboye for Steve and Nina Ireland’s Lynbrook Jerseys and has two full-time staff members working alongside him.

“Last autumn I was getting sick of dealing with 200 litre drums and asked Ecolab what other options they had. They were rolling out the new Solids system and we were keen to try it,” Phillip says.

Gone are the cumbersome plastic drums of liquid cleaning product that took up space and could be difficult to move and store safely.

Instead, the chemicals needed for vat and plant washdown come in a solid form, packed up in an easy to handle, 3.5kg pack.

But that’s not all – instead of having to handle and mix chemicals for cleaning, the Next Gen Solids capsules are simply put into the Solidsafe automated dispenser unit where, with the touch of a button, they are mixed precisely to the correct specifications. With the touch of another button, the wash is activated.

“I love the thing,” Phillip says.

“It’s definitely a positive for health and safety.” – Phillip Harrison, Canterbury

Staff no longer have to handle caustic alkali or acid chemicals or deal with heavy, awkward drums.

“It’s definitely a positive for health and safety,” Phillip says.

The system ensures the milking plant is cleaned effectively and efficiently every time.

“We haven’t had a single hygiene issue with it,” he says.

The farm supplies Fonterra and milk quality contributes to additional payments through Fonterra’s Co-operative Difference Programme, so there’s a direct financial payback to consistently meeting rigorous hygiene standards.

“The system really takes any human error factor out of the cleaning processes too, so it’s not only safer for staff, you also know it’s always going to be right – no mix-ups, no spills.”

Transporting, storing and dealing with waste is also a whole lot easier with the smaller, light-weight packages, easy to pick up from the local farm supply store or have delivered. There’s no need for specialist freight transport or freight handling systems to get them off the truck and no equipment needed to move them to where they’ll be stored.

It’s all helping to create a lighter environmental footprint across the supply chain which is everybody’s aim. There’s less plastic, fewer containers and less waste to manage throughout the process.

The small, boxed packages can be stacked easily on shelves and take up very little space compared with drums that need large areas for storage and segregation.

Ecolab Business Development Leader, Darren Stenning, says the innovative technology used to formulate the Next Gen Solids cleaning capsules is groundbreaking.

“This is world-first technology. It’s a game-changer and it’s being rolled out right here in New Zealand first – ahead of any other country in the world,” Darren says.

It’s been through a detailed approval process through MPI and approvals are in place to ensure it meets New Zealand’s regulatory requirements.

“The system means no one handles any chemicals. There are no chemicals to mix and no one has to measure a thing.

“Taking the need to handle chemicals out of the equation when it comes to the dairy plant cleaning process is going to potentially cut out all of those chemical injuries and give huge peace of mind to both farmers and staff,” Darren says.

The system’s innovation is a major shift in a process that’s been higher risk when it comes to the activities farmers and their staff carry out each day.

“This takes that risk out,” Darren says.

Lugging heavy, unwieldy drums is also a potential health and safety risk from strained backs and other injuries.

“The whole system is a gamechanger and we’re extremely proud to be bringing it to New Zealand farmers first,” he says.

Visit en-nz.ecolab.com