Cork-based agri-tech business eyes expansion

Thu, 06 Oct, 2022 - 14:56

Kathleen O'Sullivan

A Cork-based agri-tech business is eyeing global expansion over the coming years.

Moonsyst, a provider of smart rumen monitoring systems for dairy and beef cattle, said it has recently secured additional investment and expansion of its senior management team.

With sales in Ireland, Europe and North America, Moonsyst is now planning to expand further in Ireland and globally over the coming years.

The Kinsale-based business presents farmers with an easy-to-use cloud-based technology, that monitors all facets of the individual animal in real time.

It consists of a rumen bolus sensor and a cloud-based data processing application, with an assisted mobile app.

The sensor is swallowed by the animal where it sinks to the bottom of the rumen/stomach and settles in the reticulum for the duration of the animal’s life.

The sensor can monitor pH level, temperature, rumen and body activity, and has a lifespan of more than six years.

The system can alert farmers of calving, heat, repeats, fever, abnormal water intake and other health-related issues allowing the farmer to make more efficient and effective decisions to increase their livestock’s fertility and performance while maximising productivity and avoiding potential health problems.

Latest approach to monitoring solutions

Moonsyst co-founder and chief operating officer Desmond Savage said that automated heat detection and health monitoring systems “can reduce time watching your livestock and act as an early warning system with animal heat and health alerts sent directly to your smartphone”.

“With this information to hand, farmers can better understand the health of their animals and optimise the feed conversion rates, which in turn will minimise the biogenic emissions, helping the environment,” Mr Savage said.

He told the Irish Examiner that having the sensor inside the animal “gives more information, we feel it’s the latest approach to cattle monitoring solutions”.

“Obviously dairy farmers are under pressure now from a sustainability point of view but they’re also under pressure from labour,” Mr Savage said.

“Managing a herd of cattle is quite labour intensive so if technology can help reduce dependence on labour then that’s a good thing.

“Also, with better information on animal and herd health, that should feed into better efficiencies and in turn, that will improve sustainability and animal welfare.”

Mr Savage, who last spring spoke at an Oireachtas meeting about exploring technologies to reduce emissions in the agriculture sector, has said that “metrics matter” when it comes to making long-term decisions on the future of Irish farming.

According to Mr Savage, by incentivising farmers to better understand the health of their herd, they can optimise feed conversion rates and in turn, minimise biogenic emissions and help the environment in the long-term.

“A ‘quick and fast’ solution is never the answer when farming the land or planning for the future, therefore a longer-term sustainable approach is key and Irish farmers are well placed to take the lead on this,” he added.

Moonsyst has been acquired by Agri IoT Ltd., which was established earlier this year as a holding company that plans to specialise in the agri-tech sector supporting both farmers in Ireland and globally.

Moonsyst International Ltd is an Irish company that was formed in partnership with Moonsyst Hungary in November 2020. In 2021, the company received the IFAC best newcomer award at the Enterprise Ireland Innovation Arena Awards competition in association with the National Ploughing Association.