Farming Monthly National April 2017 | Page 49

| Buildings New product lets more light into livestock buildings Farmers can make more use of ‘free light’ thanks to a new roofing product launched by manufacturer, Marley Eternit. protected open ridge is often the most effective ventilation solution for livestock buildings as it allows an adequate gap at the top of the roof for stale air to escape, while being sheltered by a soffit strip of fibre cement to prevent rain ingress. Marley Eternit has created a new type of protected open ridge system which is fitted with a transparent soffit, allowing more light into a building, reducing the need for electric lighting or lower level skylights. A “After all, sunlight is free, so I should be able to reduce my reliance on LED lighting” Sales Director at Marley Eternit, Adam Botterill, explains the thinking behind this pioneering design: “Getting enough light into a building can be tricky as we know that heat stress can occur when low level roof lights are positioned over animals. By using a transparent strip made from polycarbonate resin over the ridge, we are able to channel light into the centre of the barn, high above the animals, preventing ‘hotspots’ and often over the feed passage where extra light is needed anyway.” The product has now been fitted on the first few farms in the UK with Steve Davey, from Higher West Town Farm, near Bideford, being one of the first farmers to fit this type of ridge, after taking advice from Tim Moast, from T&M Building Ltd, who advised on and built the new shed. “One of the key requirements for the new shed was to leave some space in the middle where a conventional or robotic milking parlour could be established in the future and I felt that it would help to let as much light in as possible,” stated Steve. “After all, sunlight is free, so I should be able to reduce my reliance on LED lighting and further improve the indoor environment for my cows.” www.stalhameng.co.uk www.farmingmonthly.co.uk April 2017 | Farming Monthly | 49