Dairy Unit Industrial - Dairy Technician in Lisburn

Location: Hillsborough

Hours: 37hrs per week plus overtime, working 5 days out of 7 and will include weekends

Duration: up to 3 months

Pay: £13.75 per hour

About AFBI & the Agri-Environment Branch: The Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) delivers world-class science to support agriculture, the environment, and the wider economy. Sponsored by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), AFBI provides evidence-based research and monitoring that informs government policy and promotes sustainability in Northern Ireland and beyond.

Job role: The successful applicant will report to the Assistant Dairy Herd Manager and Dairy Herd Manager and liaise closely with scientific staff at Hillsborough, Loughgall, Crossnacreevy, Stormont and Newforge Lane Belfast. The successful applicant's duties will include the following:

• Milking duties, including bringing cows to and from fields and houses for milking, preparing cows for milking, milking cows, maintaining hygiene throughout the milking process, maintaining parlour cleanliness.
• Feeding cows, including preparing experimental rations to specific experimental requirements, normally using a telescopic handler, tractor and mixer wagon, but also by hand or using a mini mixer.
• Pasture/grazing management, including sowing fertiliser, mowing paddocks using a mower, harvesting grass using a zero-grazer, weed control, allocating pasture, setting up fence lines, checking water troughs.
• Maintaining high animal health and welfare standards, including identifying and treating sick animals, routine health management, vaccination, hoof care, assisting veterinary practitioners.
• Fertility management, including heat detection, artificial insemination, assisting at calving, and ensuring the health and welfare of calves and cows at birth.
• General livestock management duties, including bedding cow houses/cubicles and calving pens (for example, with straw, sawdust and lime), clipping cows.
• Recording detailed herd health and management details, both electronically and hard copy, as appropriate.
• Assisting scientific staff to take measurements.
• Maintaining overall cleanliness and tidiness of the dairy unit, including cleaning and disinfecting animal accommodation, brushing, power hosing, grass cutting, weed control/management, silo management.
• All types of general farm duties, and any other duties that may arise, including young-stock management which includes feeding and rearing large numbers of calves and youngstock until they move into the main dairy herd.
• Conducting an evening check of animals within the herds, which may include checking youngstock and calves.

This list is not exclusive, and the successful candidate will be required to carry out other duties as allocated by management.

Essential Criteria:

• Two GCSE's including English Language and Maths, grade C or above, or a recognised level 2 or higher in Agriculture or equivalent in a relevant area.
• Demonstrate, by way of examples, at least 12 months experience of working in a Dairy Unit of over 200 dairy stock, including milking, feeding, maintaining cow hygiene throughout all milking processes and working with young stock.
• Demonstrate, by way of examples, experience in all of the following: Pasture/grazing management in whole, Heat detection/Fertility, General livestock husbandry skills including animal Health and Welfare and have good working knowledge of farming practices and principles relevant to livestock management.
• Possess a full, UK current or exchangeable driving licence from the list for manual vehicles, enabling the licence holder to fulfil the duties of this role.

Apply Now! Take the next step in your career and join a rewarding role with AFBI. Apply today or contact Evette Fiddes at Evette.Fidd