Polish dairy farms boost milk output with robotics as small producers face market pressure

Farm owner Zbigniew Lisowski in Poland reduced his herd from 70 to 53 cows and introduced a Lely Astronaut A4 milking robot. The automation, combined with better feeding and faster milking cycles, lifted daily milk production from about 1,800 L to 2,100 L, raising per‑cow yield from 25 kg to 40 kg and cutting feed use.

At the same time, Poland’s major dairy cooperatives such as Polmlek and Mlekpol are building large, highly automated processing plants that handle tens of thousands of tonnes of milk daily with very few staff. This scale puts cost pressure on smaller dairies, which analysts say can survive by specializing in high‑value, branded products and by seeking regulatory changes that improve access to modern retail channels.