A crowd of over 60 people turned up at the Lyons Estate on Tuesday for the auction of dairy equipment including a Dairymaster 12-unit milking machine.
Michael Taffe, of Taaffe Auctions, which handled the sale, said it was a successful sale and one that saw huge interest beforehand.
The equipment was sold in four lots, with Lot 1 – the 12-unit fully automated miking parlour with swing over arms, cluster removals, low level wash, diversion line and electronic milk feeders and meters. This was sold to a Cavan buyer for €24,000.
Lot2 12 Dairymaster mealbins sold for €6,100, while Lot 3 a 7950L milk tank, with autowash and a new compressor, sold for €9,500.
Lot 4, a drafting gate and weighbridge, sold for €5,200.
Lot 5, a 2010 Lely discovery barn cleaner sold for €7,000.
Active bidders on they day had travelled from as far as Cork and Northern Ireland to Lyons Estate for the sale.
Under the conditions of the sale, Dairymaster are removing the old milking parlour for the purchaser. Michael Taaffe also said that the sale will not disrupt milking on the farm, with the outgoing parlour being used this morning, while the new milking machine being used this evening.
According to UCD Farm Manager Eddie Jordan the dairy farm is doubling cow numbers over the coming months.
The new facility will have capacity for 200 cows, and is part of a €2m plus investment supported by Dairymaster, Devenish Nutrition, Glanbia, Munster Cattle Breeding Group, Progressive Genetics and the Irish Holstein Friesian Breeders Association and FBD Insurance.
Lyons Research Farm consists of over 580 acres located near the village of Newcastle in Co Kildare. It is used for teaching and research field activities.