Milk liner

A milk liner for use in a shell of a milking apparatus, the milk liner comprising:

• a resiliently deformable sleeve extending between a mouthpiece at a distal end and an outlet pipe at a proximal end, the sleeve forming a cavity for receiving a teat of an animal to be milked, wherein the sleeve comprises:
• a first portion having a plurality of ribs, the ribs extending longitudinally along and transversally outward from the first portion, the longitudinal extent of each rib terminating at a proximal end of the first portion, the transversal extent of each rib terminating in a flange for engaging with the shell;
• and
• a second portion located between the proximal end of the first portion and the outlet pipe;
• wherein the second and first portions are configured to sequentially collapse inwards, and wherein each of the first and second portions are configured to progressively collapse inwards, the progressive inward collapse being directed towards the distal end of the sleeve when a pressure difference within a predetermined range is present across a wall of the sleeve, so as to cause a peristaltic massage of the teat, the peristaltic massage being directed up the teat;
• wherein a width of each rib decreases towards the proximal end of the first portion;
• wherein the sleeve has a distal wall portion with a first wall thickness and a proximal wall portion with a second wall thickness greater than the first wall thickness;
• wherein the sleeve comprises a wall thickness step change at an interface between the distal wall portion and the proximal wall portion;
• and
• wherein the milk liner is configured to engage a base of the shell at a location on the milk liner between a proximal end of the proximal wall portion and the outlet pipe.