As a milker, you’ll be responsible for milking dairy cows while maintaining a high standard of animal welfare and hygiene.
Also known as dairy hand, milking assistant, assistant dairy person, dairy farm assistant, dairy worker, relief milker or dairy farm worker.
This profile highlights the skills and knowledge associated with the role. However, jobs will have varying responsibilities depending on level of the role and the size or type of the business.
Milkers help collect the cows in groups from the shed or field at the same times each day and bring them into the milking parlour. You’ll be trained on the milking procedure, which can vary from farm to farm.
It’s essential that the milking parlour and equipment are as clean as possible. This is particularly important while you’re milking, as a dirty environment can allow bacteria to spread more easily. This can cause serious health problems for the cow, such as mastitis. Good hygiene is also important for food safety to ensure the milk is fit for human consumption.
Paying close attention to detail is vital for spotting potential health or welfare issues early.
Milkers must be flexible and willing to work outside the normal ‘nine to five’ hours. Some farms milk their cows more than once a day, although this can vary depending on the time of year and the type of operation.
There are also opportunities to work as a relief milker. This is where you provide cover over the weekend or to cover staff illness or holidays.
A milker may work as part of the milking team and usually reports to the farm manager. Once you’re skilled in the role, you may work unsupervised.
This role is a good entry point to the industry. It can be extremely rewarding as it provides the opportunity to learn a lot about cow health and nutrition.
You may need to have your own transport to get to work.
As a milker your responsibilities might include:
To work as a milker, you should:
You do not always need a formal qualification to work as a milker. Your supervisor or an experienced member of the milking team will often provide training on the job. However, you will need to be keen to learn and be interested in livestock.
You can also gain experience by volunteering on a farm or smallholding.
If you live in a city or urban area, you could volunteer on a local city farm, community garden, or allotment. You can find some of these in your area on the Social Farms and Gardens website.
It’s also helpful to have a basic knowledge of dairy cow diseases and health issues and how to help prevent them.
As a milker, you’ll have the following competencies to work to a high standard of milking. You will:
The salary for a milker is in the region of £24,000 £29,000 per year.
This figure is for a full-time permanent position for workers over 21 years of age, depending on level of experience, business type and location. Workers below 21 years of age can be paid a lower hourly rate.
This role though is often advertised as casual, self-employed, part-time or hourly with a salary that is reflective of the full-time rate of pay.
As a milker you may, in some instances, be paid for travel time and receive support in travelling to your place of work.
Within the agriculture and horticulture sectors there are often many associated benefits that are not reflected in the headline salary. These include accommodation being provided or subsidised, travel pay, profit shares, vehicle use and production bonuses.
Some dairy farm workers stay in their role as milkers as they enjoy working with cows and the sense of satisfaction they get from producing quality milk to high animal welfare standards.
However, it’s possible to progress your career to a supervisory role, such as a senior herdsperson, where you would manage the milking team.
You might find you want to specialise in other areas, such as cattle nutrition or genetics. These roles require you to have specific knowledge and skills that would require further study.
Dairy farm workers can also progress their careers in the wider dairy industry, such as feed sales specialists, pasture supervisors or livestock buyers.
Courses which can help you on this career path include:
Level 1 Diploma Land-based Studies Agriculture
Level 2 Technical Certificate in Agriculture
Level 3 Advanced Technical Certificate in Agriculture
Apprenticeships
Livestock Unit Technician Level 3
Employers and recruiters who hire for this role include:
The employers and recruiters listed below hire for roles like this one. If you would like your business to be listed here, please click the button underneath the logos shown here.
https://www.4xtrahands.com/jobs
https://www.agrirs.co.uk/work-for-us
https://careers.cotteswold-dairy.co.uk/vacancies/vacancy-search-results.aspx
https://everestps.co.uk/milk-dairy/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1494447200599804
https://www.lklservices.co.uk/
https://careers.themodernmilkman.co.uk/
For more information on career inspiration and lots of varied job profiles visit The Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture’s website
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