Galebreaker puts dairy lighting in the spotlight at UK Dairy Day
Galebreaker has launched a new dairy-specific lighting system at UK Dairy Day, designed to help farmers create better housed conditions for cow health, welfare and performance. The RUDAX Dairy LED Light System, developed by Dutch livestock lighting specialist HATO, exclusively joins Galebreaker’s agricultural range as part of its wider approach to optimising livestock housing. Designed specifically around the needs of dairy cows, RUDAX provides controlled, consistent lighting to support natural behaviour and performance. William Johnson, UK and Ireland sales manager at Galebreaker, says research highlights the important role lighting can play in dairy performance, with an AHDB review finding that managed periods of light and darkness can increase milk yield by 2kg a cow a day. He says this makes the range a natural extension of Galebreaker’s work to address environmental pinch points within livestock buildings. “Farmers often ask us to look at a building because something within the environment isn’t working as well as it could,” he says. “We’re already looking at ventilation, airflow and how the roof and sides of the building are performing, and lighting is another part of that conversation.”
RUDAX uses specialist flicker-free LED lighting alongside controls that can automate day and night periods. Each system is designed around the individual building, with Galebreaker surveying the shed and developing a bespoke lighting plan according to how different areas are used. Mr Johnson adds: “It’s an animal-led solution. We start by asking what the cow needs and how the building can best provide it. “That means looking at the whole shed, rather than simply installing a row of lights. “We can provide more light around passageways and the feed fence, for example, while creating different conditions over lying areas.”
Consistent lighting can help minimise dark areas and shadows, which cows may be reluctant to move through, helping create a stable, optimised environment. The IP67-rated units are designed to withstand livestock housing conditions, while the plug-and-play system is supplied ready for installation following the farm assessment.
For Galebreaker, RUDAX also strengthens its ability to help farmers improve existing buildings rather than undertaking major redevelopment.
“Many dairy buildings have evolved over decades as herds and farming systems have changed,” says Mr Johnson.
“The answer isn’t always to knock everything down and start again. There are opportunities to improve the environment within the building you already have through ventilation, air movement, flexible openings and now lighting.”
Source: industry press release.