Robotic milker finance
Funding for automated milking units, from a single box on a family herd to a multi-robot installation, including the feed and management systems around them.
Whole-of-market — 60+ lenders searched, including
Can you finance a robotic milker?
Yes, and robots are among the better-supported large dairy investments because the repayment comes from an income that arrives every month and can be proved from statements. Units are funded on hire purchase over a period reflecting their working life. A robot is bolted into a building and plumbed into the bulk tank and the slurry system, so on tenanted or mortgaged land written acknowledgement from the landlord or bank is required. The scope is what catches farms out: the boxes are only part of it, and cubicle alterations, feed systems, gating and slurry handling all need costing into the same decision.
Used kit: Yes, but used units are valued on software generation and remaining manufacturer support
Get a quoteor call 0333 772 4864
What would a robotic milker cost per month?
Asset finance is quoted on a flat rate, so that is what the buttons show, with the equivalent APR beside it. Your exact rate depends on the asset, the term, the deposit and the lender.
Prime is an established, profitable business with clean credit. Specialist covers newer businesses and credit that needs explaining — the asset itself carries part of the risk, which is why finance is often available where an unsecured loan is not.
Representative example: on Hire Purchase, borrowing £25,000 over 48 months at a 5.15% flat rate (equivalent to 9.9% APR representative), you would repay around £628 a month; total amount repayable approximately £30,150, of which £5,150 is the cost of finance. This calculator is for illustration only — it is not a quote or an offer of finance, and the rate and repayments you are offered will depend on the asset, term, deposit and your circumstances. CW Asset Finance is a credit broker, not a lender, and may receive a commission from the lender that funds your agreement. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
Rates shown are indicative flat rates with the equivalent APR alongside — the two are not the same number. Indicative only and does not constitute a quote or an offer of finance. Subject to status and lender approval.
How lenders treat it
Robots are high value, highly specialised and part-installed, so the resale pool is as narrow as it gets in agriculture. A recovered unit is worth something only to another dairy prepared to install it, and the software generation matters as much as the metal, so funders lend against the dairy business rather than against the machine. In practice that is workable, because milk income is monthly, contracted and evidenced. Underwriters look at cow numbers per unit, current and projected yield, the milk buyer and the labour position. Manufacturer service cover is effectively compulsory, since an unsupported robot stops the farm. Payments to the installer are staged and the agreement normally starts once the herd is milking through the units.
Makes and models we fund
Examples of the machines we are asked to fund. This is not an exhaustive list — if what you are buying is not here, it does not mean we cannot fund it. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.
| Machine | What it is |
|---|---|
| Lely Astronaut A5 | Single box robotic milking unit |
| Lely Juno | Automatic feed pushing robot |
| Lely Vector | Automatic feeding system with mixing kitchen |
| DeLaval VMS V300 | Voluntary milking system with teat spray |
| DeLaval VMS V310 | Milking robot with in-line analysis |
| GEA DairyRobot R9500 | Box robot with in-liner everything process |
| GEA DairyProQ | Automated rotary milking platform |
| Fullwood Merlin2 | Robotic milking box for family herds |
| BouMatic Gemini | Twin box robotic milking unit |
| Lely Horizon herd software | Herd management and robot reporting |
Get a quoteor call 0333 772 4864
Who buys one
Family dairy farms where labour is the binding constraint and the next generation will not commit to twice-daily milking, herds expanding beyond what an ageing plant can handle, and farms replacing equipment that had reached the end of its life anyway. The decision is usually forced by staffing rather than yield: the inability to recruit a reliable relief milker is what moves most farms to automation.
Get a quoteor call 0333 772 4864
We publish the deals we arrange, with no client named and no rate quoted. See what we have funded in agriculture.
How it is treated for tax
Bought on hire purchase, business plant and machinery normally qualifies for capital allowances on the full cost even though you pay for it monthly, which is a large part of why hire purchase is the common structure. On a finance lease you generally set the rentals against profit instead. The rules change between budgets and your position depends on how you trade, so treat this as the direction of travel and get your accountant to confirm the detail before you commit.
Robotic milker finance questions
How many cows per robot do funders expect?
They will want your figure and a sensible basis for it. Cow numbers per unit drive the whole business case, because underloading a robot wastes capacity and overloading it costs yield. An underwriter is testing whether the herd size genuinely justifies the number of units being bought.
Can cubicle and shed alterations be included?
The equipment can be funded; building alterations cannot, because construction becomes part of the property. Robot projects almost always involve some reworking of cow flow, so budget that separately and borrow it against the farm if needed. Pretending the alterations are not required is the common mistake.
Is manufacturer service cover really necessary?
In practical terms yes, and funders assume it is in place. A robot that stops leaves cows unmilked, which is a welfare problem within hours, so support cover is not comparable with a service plan on an implement. Build the cost into the affordability figures from the start.
Are used robots worth looking at?
They exist and can be funded, but proceed carefully. What matters is the software generation, parts availability and whether the manufacturer will still support that unit. A funder will lend more conservatively against a used robot for precisely those reasons, so expect to contribute more of the cost yourself.
How is the transition period handled?
Payments are released to the installer in stages and the agreement typically begins once the herd is milking through the units. Training cows onto robots is the hardest few weeks of the project, and not having repayments running during it is a genuine help rather than a technicality.
Get a quoteor call 0333 772 4864
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Not an offer of finance. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
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Tell us what you’re looking to fund and Conor will come back to you personally — usually the same day.
Prefer to talk? Call 0333 772 4864 · serving Leeds, York, Harrogate, Wakefield, Selby, Tadcaster & across North & West Yorkshire.
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