Herdwatch strikes deal with UK rival

Herdwatch is already the market leader in farming software used in the UK and Ireland, with more than 18,000 active farms on the platform.

Tipperary-based farm software company Herdwatch has announced a deal which will see the firm take on clients from a long-established agricultural software provider in the UK.

Herdwatch is already the market leader in farming software used in the UK and Ireland, with more than 18,000 active farms on the platform; however, the deal will add further to the firm's market share in the UK.

The agreement will see Herdwatch begin to take on the users of Farmplan's livestock software products, including Cattle Manager and Sheep Manager, later this month. Customers of Farmplan’s financial, cropping or hardware products and services will be unaffected.

Herdwatch's app-based software was launched in 2014 and is estimated to save farmers an average of three hours a week on paperwork.

Last year, the firm launched its new Flockwwatch software, tailored specifically for the sheep sector, while the business is also focusing on international growth with recent entry into US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

Farmplan by Proagrica managing director Piers Costley said: “Great care was taken to find the perfect partnership to provide this upgrade to our cattle and sheep software customers. Herdwatch provides access to cutting-edge technology and was deemed the best-suited partner on the market. 

"Herdwatch is a natural and logical partner that will equip users with access to valuable cloud integration to future-proof their operations.” 

Herdwatch chief executive and co-founder Fabien Peyaud said the deal marked a "strong opportunity", adding that his firm will be making "additional ambitious expansion announcements in the coming weeks".

“We are honoured that Proagrica has selected Herdwatch as the natural solution to upgrade their Farmplan livestock software. We have a very similar ethos and look forward to welcoming customers to the Herdwatch platform as we continue our investment in the future of British farming," Mr Peyaud said.