Driving around the countryside earlier in the week, we went past this odd piece of kit.
Farming in rural France ranges from the big business, prairie-style farming of the flatter areas of the country... to the ‘dog and stick’ farming that was common in the UK but is rarely seen nowadays.
Adjacent to a field with a couple of cows cudding contentedly, was this contraption - it’s a mobile (though appears to be well-fixed) milking parlour which will take two cows at a time. The second photo zooms in on the milking cluster attachment - which attach to the cows’ udders, of course.
I’m not convinced that this is the most hygenic of setups - and it would not be acceptable for modern milk tanker collection. But for the farmer and his family who have undoubtedly been drinking the milk obtained via this machine all their lives, I suspect it does them no harm and tastes great. It is likely to be a totally stress-free arrangement for the cows too.
