Barbosa, José CarlosTeixeira, AlfredoPereira, F.2011-01-252011-01-252005Barbosa, José Carlos; Teixeira, A.; Pereira, F. (2005). A contribution to the improvement of milking and working conditions on Serrana goat farms in Northeastern Portugal. In XXXI CIOSTA-CIGR V Congress Proceedings - Increasing work efficiency in agriculture, horticulture and forestry. Hohenheim. p. 326-330. ISBN 30001634683000163468http://hdl.handle.net/10198/3160This presentation is about milking and working conditions on Serrana goat farms in Trás- os-Montes, a region of northeastern Portugal. The Serrana goat is an indigenous breed and is generally raised to produce milk for cheese-making. Goats are hand-milked inside their shelters. There are no places specifically for milking nor special equipment or facilities to do this work. In collaboration with ANCRAS (Portuguese Serrana breeders' association), we developed a project with the aim of improving milking and working conditions on Serrana goat farms, bearing in mind the socio-economic conditions of breeders. We propose the use of a milking platform with a self-locking barrier in order to improve the posture of milkers and the efficiency of milking. Our study compared traditional manual milking with manual milking using such a platform and barrrier. The use of this equipment can improve milking and working conditions on the goat farms of the region.engMilking conditionsWorking conditionsGoat milkingconference object