A NEW teat dip which aims to cut through existing and any future regulations regarding efficacy and suitability, has won this year's AgriScot Product Innovation award.
Diversey Deosan's Triathlon is a unique disinfectant which is completely natural and uses a plant-based and sustainable source as its main ingredient. With traditional teat treatments, such as iodine, coming under intense scrutiny and facing a probable ban in the coming years, plus other products which are based on petrochemicals, this new product was viewed by the judges as not only able to meet stringent regulations, but also able to comply with increasingly tight milk contracts.
The 'green' product, which costs £2.50 per litre, has been tested to kill 99.9% of bacteria and yeast in under 30 seconds. It is fully biodegradable and contains an emollient to aid udder health.
Two other products were given highly commended certificates. Soltropy is a new start-up business which has invented a modular solar thermal panel which does not require anti-freeze and is able to convert the sun's energy into hot water for use in the likes of milking parlours. It can also be used in the home.
It uses a special inner core to make it ice immune and is claimed to be three times more efficient than conventional solar panels. It also qualifies for RHI and has a payback period of between four and five years.
The judges were also impressed by the green credentials of Kverneland's new all-electric self-propelled Siloking e-Truck vertical feed mixer. Costing from about £80,000, this comes in a variety of sizes and can cater for about five dispensed mixes on one charge of electricity using a forklift-proven electric drive system.
It uses about 3kW of power per tonne mixed and its running costs are said to be about a third of a diesel-powered version.
The winner receives AgriScot's Innovation award and £1000-worth of free advertising in The Scottish Farmer. The judges were well-known dairy farmer, David Hamilton, machinery specialist Brian Sangster and The Scottish Farmer's editor, Ken Fletcher.
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