DAVID MORGAN has been replaced by two Robo-Farmers - and he doesn't mind a bit. Because Mr Morgan, of Trostre Court Farm near Usk, can now get a morning lie-in while the £200,000 robots milk his cows.

An instead of his 200-strong Holstein pedigree herd being rounded up for twice-daily milking sessions, the pampered animals can stroll along and get milked when they like. And that's not all.

The cows on his 465-acre farm are treated to luxurious comforts with a rubber mattress each, costing £40, for them to lie on with a bed of sawdust underneath.

The computer-controlled milking system, which has been in operation since November, works because a collar containing a sensor around their neck identifies the cows. They are milked, cleaned and disinfected robotically.

Mr Morgan, 60, who also runs a building company putting up agricultural buildings, his wife Nancy and daughter Sue decided 18 months ago to swap from a conventional milking parlour which needed upgrading.

"Milking was taking too long," he said. "It was taking between three and four hours every time."

So, starting off looking at ways about getting more information about his herd, he struck upon the revolutionary equipment being made by Cambridge-shire-based firm, Lely. He said: "We started looking at robots to keep us ahead of the game. "There are only about 50 or 60 in the country and went to see one in Scotland. We were very impressed."

He says the cows have adapted well to the new system and Mr Morgan believes they are much quieter because they are more relaxed.

One particular favourite of David and his wife is Pearl, the cow who has adapted surprisingly well.

Mr Morgan added: "It is running better than we anticipated". To get them used to the new equipment, Mr Morgan walked them through the robot a few times and then started with just 20 cows on the first day. Within a week, 75 per cent of the cows were going around the equipment by themselves.

Mr Morgan, who sells to the Milk Group, currently has a yield of 8,000 litres but is aiming for 10,000 litres by next year with the same number of cows.

He said that with the new robot it is possible to detect mastitis 12 to 24 hours sooner than without it.

The computer is also connected to an alarm which Mr Morgan and his family hear, and can deal with any problems straight away.