A MILKING parlour designed to improve hygeine has been launched.

Fullwood is offering the all-enclosed design as an optional extra on its new models of herringbone and rapid extra parlours.

The Cleanline design encloses essential milking equipment behind specially-constructed housing.

It includes washable stainless steel cabinet work-enclosing milk meters, pulsators and pipework beneath the cow platform, and similar stainless steel enclosures surrounding overhead milking station consoles above the kick rail.

Adele Riley, Fullwood marketing manager, said it transforms the look of the parlour into a neater, cleaner and sleeker working environment.

She said: "Apart from giving the milking parlour a much more modern and streamlined appearance, importantly, the Cleanline has been developed to protect the key operating parts of the parlour against soiling and contamination.

"In this way, it has the potential to save on labour, by providing easier-to-clean flatter surfaces for wash down.

"Essentially, it helps make the parlour a much cleaner working environment, in line with the food production facility that a modern parlour should be."

While the design helps protect milking equipment during normal use, sliding doors in the cabinets beneath each milking station allow easy access to equipment for maintenance or taking milk samples.

Ms Riley said: "Looking forward, it is increasingly important that dairy farming presents a clean, hygienic industry."