Sainsbury’s Invests in Techion Cloud Technology

A small New Zealand-based agri-tech company Techion Group have received a research and development fund from UK supermarket giant Sainsbury’s.

The grant of 400,000 Euro will go towards further developing Techion’s cloud-based system for diagnosing parasites in sheep.

Techion’s technology allows farmers to receive feedback in the field through cloud-based technology, helping farmers detect parasites and improve the health of sheep and other livestock.

Sainsbury’s interest in the project comes from wanting to roll out the technology in its Producer Group. The program is part of an initiative to support sustainable farming and improve animal welfare.

Sainsbury’s believes that frequent testing will allow farmers to use more targeted animal health strategies and anthelmintics. The funding will support implementing Techion’s FECPAKG2 system in NZ and the UK.

Techion previously received funding in 2013 from New Zealand’s Angel Networks Enterprise Angels and the Central North Island Group, and the NZ government also has a stake in Techion.

According to stuff.co.nz the funding will pay for half of the hardware cost for famers and half of Techion’s monthly subscription. UK farmers will also receive this equipment; Techion plans to hire technicians in the UK to analyze samples.

The technology was originally designed for testing sheep and goats but can also be used for cattle and horses to provide quick FEC information on the farm.

“How well livestock perform is heavily impacted by parasites – they’re the largest influencing factor on animal performance, after nutrition,” Techion founder Greg Mirams said. “It’s important for farmers to make use of new technologies to make better decisions.”

Techion technology reduces the time from testing to results, cutting the time down to about 90 minutes, and cloud-based technology allows this service to be available to farmers around the world.

Original article on The Whir.