Funding for health monitoring

The scheme, which opens for applications on 14th July and closes on 22nd August, is offering eligible farmers up to £20,000 for capital investments which improve business efficiency and sustainability, in a push to support climate-friendly farming.

SmaXtec’s UK country sales manager Robert Kirk welcomes the inclusion of health monitoring technology in the list of eligible capital items.

“Scottish farmers will now have the opportunity to advance their herd health monitoring systems through the FFIS,” he says.

Health monitoring systems are already helping many dairy farmers improve herd health and welfare, and for those yet to adopt them, Mr Kirk says the upfront cost may be a point of hesitation.

“This new grant funding scheme can help offset this, while in the long-term the potential for gains from the system is significant,” he adds.

While Mr Kirk praises the opportunity to make advanced health monitoring systems more accessible to farmers in Scotland, he warns that careful thought is needed to ensure farmers are choosing items under the scheme which align with their long-term business plan.

“When these grants become available, it’s easy to fall into a trap of purchasing items you want, as opposed to items you need,” he explains.

“Identifying the key challenges on-farm – whether that’s lameness, mastitis or fertility for example – will help you to make informed decisions as to what type of technology is right for you.”

He says the smaXtec system operates via a bolus which provides accurate insight into a cow’s inner body temperature, water intake and drinking cycles, rumination, and activity levels by taking continuous measurements directly from the reticulum.

“Accurate to 0.01°C, this advanced technology provides the earliest possible detection of temperature changes and sends alerts to farmers to aid a range of fertility and health decisions, including when a cow is bulling or if a cow has an early case of mastitis,” adds Mr Kirk.

He urges farmers interested in adopting new technologies, such as the smaXtec system, to take advantage of the FFIS funding.

For more information and details of how to apply for the funding, visit the Scottish Government website.

For further information on the smaXtec system, visit the website.

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