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‘The collars have provided me with certainty - that's invaluable to me'
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Oisín Gallen milks 90 cows alongside his wife Karen, daughter Zara, and parents Ann and Eamon.
Oisín explained: "In 2025, I sold approximately 25,000 more litres of milk in April than I did in 2024. That’s due in a large part to the Censortec collars.
"We increased our six-week calving rate from 74% in 2024 to 92% in 2025, and that made a massive difference to our profitability."
Oisín, originally from Co. Cavan, moved back to his father’s native Donegal in 2020 to take over his uncle’s farm outside Ramelton.
‘We were lucky that we had a good milk price from when we began milking.
"It allowed us to invest in good facilities and equipment, and we can reap the benefits now,’ Oisín said.
Labour saving
They expanded the milking parlour and carried out extensive work to improve the grazing platform.
The Gallens also installed Censortec’s activity monitors in 2023.
The system is powered by Dutch-based Nedap’s technology. More than seven million cows are globally connected to the Nedap cow monitoring platform.
"The tags have saved us massively on labour. We were tailpainting, and it worked, but we always felt it wasn't easy to be certain whether the cow was in heat.
"Also, as the breeding season progressed, we noticed that productivity declined and heat detection became less effective.
"The SmartTags have taken all the uncertainty out of it.
"We run a short breeding season of 10-11 weeks, and the collars make many of those decisions for us in that time,’ Oisín said.
Health benefits
Nedap’s activity monitoring system also generates health alerts, which Oisín has found invaluable.
The collars collect data on rumination, eating time, and activity to provide accurate information on each cow’s health status.
"Since we installed the collars, sick cows show up sooner, and we can act quicker," Oisín said.
"I get alerts on my app telling me that a cow’s rumination or activity has changed."
The early warning allows Oisín to intervene before issues escalate and use less intensive treatments.
"I’ll normally administer fluids or rumination sachets first and then monitor the cow over the next few hours to see if there’s an improvement.
"If there isn’t, I can get the vet involved."
He says the system has also changed how health is managed across the herd.
"It’s helped us reduce antibiotic use and gives me certainty that cows aren’t being missed.
"We only physically see the cows twice a day, morning and evening, but with the Censortec collars they’re being monitored 24 hours a day," he said.
Having access to historical data adds another layer of confidence.
"We have 90 days of data on our phones and more on the PC, so we can check whether a change is in line with previous activity or if it’s something new," Oisín explains.
AHI Cellcheck awards
Oisín recently had success at the AHI CellCheck awards, representing Lakeland Dairies as their CellCheck Champion.
These awards celebrate dairy farmers who have consistently low SCC results throughout the milking season.
"In spring, when we’re busy with cows going to grass, calving cows and feeding calves, the collars give us far more certainty.
"Once cows are calved and out at grass, you may think they’re okay, but with the collars we know they’ll pick up any issues there may be.
"It gives us incredible peace of mind," Oisín said.
Censortec’s technology integrates with Alfco’s drafting gate, enabling seamless drafting of cows in heat or requiring attention.
Oisín explains the benefit that it brings to the farm.
"With the integration between Alfco and Censortec, we have seen a few major benefits.
"Firstly, cow flow isn’t interfered with by us jumping up to draft cows manually, and the cows are much more peaceful as a result.
"Secondly, it’s saved us massively on labour; I press start milking, and they’re all drafted without any further work required from me, and finally, if I’m not milking, I can still easily make sure that any cow that needs to be served is drafted with minimal effort.
"It’s a great piece of equipment," Oisín added.
Censortec
Censortec are based in Co. Kerry and has been Nedap’s main supplier in Ireland since 2016.
With a dedicated Irish-based support team, both the products and support are dependable by design.
If you’d like to find out more about Censortec’s activity monitors, call 066 9713000.
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