Robot-assisted automation is evolving rapidly and opening up new areas of application. Automated milking, feeding and cleaning systems are reducing the workload on farms, increasing precision in livestock operations and helping to address the shortage of labour. At the same time, animal welfare, animal health and environmental performance benefit from these technologies. EuroTier 2026 will showcase, live in Hanover, Germany, which innovative solutions in milking technology are already market-ready and how they are shaping the dairy barns of the future through the DLG Spotlight “Barn Robot Event.”
EuroTier, the world’s leading trade fair for professional livestock farming and management, will take place from 10 to 13 November 2026 in Hanover, alongside EnergyDecentral, the international trade fair for decentralised energy supply. Under the guiding theme “Intelligence in Animal Farming,” more than 2,100 companies and organisations from over 50 countries will present innovations and strategies for the future of livestock production across 13 halls, 220,000 square metres of exhibition space.
The use of robotics and automated systems in livestock farming has been increasing across Europe for years. The primary aim is to support farmers by reducing physically demanding and time-intensive tasks, improving operational accuracy and addressing the growing shortage of skilled labour in agriculture.
Labour relief as a key advantage
A major advantage of robotics in livestock farming is the significant reduction in manual labour. Many routine daily tasks such as milking, feeding, manure removal and bedding are now automated. This gives farm managers and employees more time for other essential activities, such as animal monitoring and farm management.
Robotics has made particularly strong progress in dairy farming over recent decades. A milking robot can carry out up to 200 milkings per day. For farmers, this represents a considerable relief, as fixed milking times in the early morning or on weekends are no longer necessary. At the same time, their quality of life, and that of their families, improves significantly.
Feeding processes are also increasingly automated. Modern feeding robots mix individual feed components and deliver fresh rations to the animals several times a day. As a result, the time required for feeding can be reduced by up to two-thirds. Automated feeding systems retrieve hay, silage as well as mineral and protein supplements from storage units and prepare precisely balanced rations. During feeding, the systems also push the feed towards the edge of the feed table so that animals can access it easily at all times.
In addition to milking and feeding robots, cleaning and manure removal robots are becoming increasingly important. They clean barn alleys and housing surfaces autonomously, ensuring hygienic conditions in the barn. Scraper robots are now considered indispensable on many farms and are often integrated directly into newly designed housing systems.
Automated systems are also increasingly used in poultry farming. For example, robots move autonomously through poultry houses for chickens and turkeys, using light signals, sounds and movement stimuli to keep the animals active. At the same time, modern robotic systems perform monitoring tasks and collect important data on barn climate conditions.
Further details are available in the full technical article:
w w w. eurotier. com/en/news/robotics-in-livestock-farming
DLG Spotlight: Barn Robot Event
Developments clearly show that there is no alternative to further automation and digitalisation in livestock farming. Robotics will play an increasingly important role in the future.
Under the guiding theme “Intelligence in Animal Farming,” EuroTier 2026 demonstrates how modern technologies can help meet today’s challenges. The DLG Spotlight “Barn Robot Event” in Hanover provides practical insights into current robotic solutions for automated milking systems and illustrates how digital technologies simplify workflows, increase efficiency and improve animal welfare at the same time.
As part of moderated live demonstrations, visitors can experience first-hand how modern milking robotics are transforming daily operations in the barn. The systems presented help make workflows more flexible, reduce the workload on staff and unlock productivity potential at farm level. At the same time, livestock farmers receive valuable information on which technologies are already market-ready and how these can be economically integrated into existing farm structures.
The “Barn Robot Event” therefore offers an ideal opportunity to gain a compact and practice-oriented overview of the future of automation in livestock farming. The three main focus areas are retrofit solutions (conversion from conventional milking parlours to robotic systems), new-build solutions, and milking in large herds.
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