The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) has warned of the dangers of cubicle lime to farmers' health and is encouraging them to follow relevant health and safety guidelines.

IFA national farm family and social affairs vice-chair Teresa Roche wants to encourage farmers to use cubicle lime to their advantage this year and to adhere to all health and safety guidelines.

"As the rainfall increases, temperatures decrease and grass growth slows, cows will be soon heading indoors. Keeping cows’ udders clean is of vital importance to reducing the risk of infection, so it is critical to have your cubicles winter ready and disinfected," she explained.

Purpose

The purpose of cubicle lime is to increase the pH on the cubicle bed, inhibiting the growth of bacteria. Cubicle lime soaks up the moisture, also preventing the growth of bacteria.

However, Roche stresses the importance that any type of cubicle lime can be a health risk.

She has advised that farmers wear a pair of safety goggles and a face mask when spreading it to avoid lime getting into their eyes or inhaling it.

She has also recommended that milking gloves are worn to protect their hands and help avoid the lime coming into contact with skin.

A scoop or a handheld container to lime the cubicles is also advised.

In order to maintain a clean, dry cubicle bed, high levels of hygiene are essential. It is recommended that passageways, cubicles and yards are scraped at least twice a day and that cubicles are also cleaned down and limed twice daily.